Many, if not most, people are weary of Obamacare and the people either touting it or flogging it. And it is this weariness that most politically savvy people count on to get things they want. They simply hammer away at something until it is passed because people just get tired of it and want it to go away.
But I urge those of you weary of the debate to remain engaged. For Obamacare is of paramount importance — the impact it will have, if not changed or, better, repealed will negatively affect future generations ultimately resulting in lower quality care, hindrance to access, bureaucrats making decisions on whether a person can have certain care or not (the so-called death panels) not to mention the devastating economic impacts the law will have because of hugely increased governmental debt.
While Obamacare’s stated goals are laudable, the law as written/designed is simply a disaster and ticking time bomb that does not achieve those goals:
Uninsured covered? Hardly. Defining the “uninsured” has always been an exercise in political art, since a lot of them are people who voluntarily choose not to purchase insurance… but, Obamacare was supposed to entice them into getting insurance. Long-term projections showed the trillions spent on Obamacare would, in fact, produce only a modest reduction in the ranks of the uninsured, leaving tens of millions of them after ten years. In fact the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that under Obamacare, 30 million non-elderly Americans will remain without health insurance in 2022. The CBO report indicates that at best, Obamacare will ultimately cover less than half of the currently uninsured. Further, the CBO report indicated that 30 million number was about what would have been expected by that date even without Obamacare!
Able to keep your doctor and/or keep your insurance plan? Obama promised this would be the case under Obamacare, but the facts tell a different story. More people have had their insurance plans CANCELED than there have been people signed up under Obamacare. Insurance carrier Florida Blue sent out 300,000 cancellation notices, or 80 percent of the entire state’s individual coverage policies, Kaiser Health News reports. California’s Kaiser Permanente canceled 160,000 plans — half of its insurance plans in the state — while Blue Shield of California sent 119,000 notices in mid-September alone. Two major insurance carriers in Pennsylvania, Insurance Highmark in Pittsburgh and Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia plan to cancel 20 percent and 45 percent of their total plans, respectively.
As liberal politician Charles Rangel (D-NY) says, “It’s (Obamacare) screwed up.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/24/health-insurance-cancellation-notices-soar-above-obamacare-enrollment-rates/#ixzz2ilZmF3CP
In addition, many new policies being issued through Obamacare are limiting hospital and doctor access. Thus, many people are finding they cannot get access to their current doctor or preferred doctor.
Access to needed care (no caps): This was the response to the concern around so-called “death panels” – the fear Obamacare would, through new bureaucracies that set prices and determined what treatments could/could not be used on a patient (based on their definitions of “quality of life,” “effectiveness” and “benefit”), essentially condemn some people to a near-certain death because they would deny payment for needed treatments. Recently, with the law now passed, supporters of Obamacare have conceded that such decisions will be made under Obamacare. The ramifications of this are stunning and appalling.
From an economic viewpoint, Obama and the law’s supporters promised the new law would be “budget neutral” meaning it would not add to the deficit/national debt, that premiums would go DOWN by an average $2,500, and taxes on the middle class would not go up. All of these promises turned out to be deceptions. The law will add up to $2 TRILLION in debt over the next 20 years; the stories of “sticker shock” for people actually able to get through the Obamacare website are legion; and taxes on the middle class will go up by $1 TRILLION over the next 10 years.
Finally, there is the fact that Obamacare is driving up the number of people who despair of getting full time work or ANY work. Companies have stopped hiring, cut hours, and/or laidoff people or canceled/significantly changed health plans as a result of Obamacare’s regulations and penalties on business. The CBO figures Obamacare will result in roughly 800,000 fewer jobs. Even big labor unions are now against Obamacare. And as pediatric heart surgeon Bradley Allen put it, “It is no wonder … members of Congress got themselves exempted from [Obamacare]. They may have passed the law, but they’re not stupid.”
The sad thing is there are, and have been, ideas and plans put forward that would address the goal of significantly reducing the number of uninsured while also ensuring health care access and quality standards increase (not decrease as with Obamacare).
I urge you to not to grow weary, but rather fight this dreadful law knowing if it does take hold, the consequences to the poor, to those in need of health care and to the nation in general will be huge over the coming years — but like the proverbial frog in the kettle these consequences will come in degrees and many won’t know why.
Ants in the Pants of Faith 