The next year will be interesting--the implementation of Obamacare might be like the Hindenburg, or it might be ... not so bad. I can hardly wait.
Hat tip: Josh Barro
Image: southdakotapolitics.blogs.com
Friday, August 9, 2013
Short: Republicans for Obamacare
I hadn't thought of this, but it's true. In many states, some Republicans are working to make health insurance available. I'm not sure how they explain it when asked, maybe something like "... for the good of the people of my state, I'm following the law." These unorthodox Republicans include governors Chris Christie, Susana Martinez, and Jan Brewer.
The next year will be interesting--the implementation of Obamacare might be like the Hindenburg, or it might be ... not so bad. I can hardly wait.
Hat tip: Josh Barro
The next year will be interesting--the implementation of Obamacare might be like the Hindenburg, or it might be ... not so bad. I can hardly wait.
Hat tip: Josh Barro
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3 comments:
As you hint in your post, the argument within the GOP is between those who think the party and its leaders should go "all in" against Obamacare, since it's not very popular in polling, and probably the wiser pols who aren't so convinced they have a winning hand.
It's their own fault, really. They railed against Obamacare and any reform to health insurance to do the bidding of their benefactors. Part of that was riling their base to hate Obama and ACA so completely that they can't turn it around now. ACA isn't nearly as bad as the rhetoric, and most of the public actually appreciates its features -- even while hating it as a whole.
In the end, the strategy was get people to hate Obamacare more than they hated health insurance companies. Since people revile health insurance companies -- who look like the big losers in ACA -- it's a heavy lift and one that those wise pols see as a coin flip at best.
So the GOP is united in wanting the public to see Obamacare as a failure. Many will do whatever is necessary to push that narrative and block reasonable implementation efforts on the flimsiest of reasons. But they know that they are vulnerable to accusations that they want people to give the money back from rebates based on the 80% payout requirement. And they also know many people will now have coverage who didn't have it before, and that rates will either go down or stop going up as fast.
I've already pre-registered since I'm like one of those people in the cartoon in your post. I have a policy, but it's very limited since the insurance companies demanded too high a premium for me. And I don't even have pre-existing conditions! I'm simply not a "good risk" in their view.
Still, the GOP governor of my state is letting the feds run our state's exchange. I expect that -- based on numbers coming from other states' exchanges -- I'll get a policy that I can afford that will protect me from going broke. And I have an upper-middle-class income!!
In the end, Obamacare is going to be good for most people. It won't be and isn't good for the health insurance companies, but they'll live. And cheapskate employers who have to pay workers enough to cover insurance will bitch and moan, but they'll live, too. Freeloaders won't like Obamacare, but most others will benefit from it.
@dangerous, this viewpoint really surprised me because I didn't think past the 43+ times the GOP has voted to repeal Obamacare.
But in the states, there probably are Repubs who want to make health insurance more available, and they probably quietly aid in the implementation of whatever their state program is called, like JerseyHealth or NMHealthChoice.
I wonder whether these Republicans at the state level will be primaried for their collaboration with the enemy. I'll need to check back.
I think few Republicans will actually help, quietly or otherwise, unless their political future is at stake. Whether they feel it is good for their constituents or not, their default position is the party one: Obamacare is evil and must be stopped.
But if they turn down free money at their constituents expense, they could lose their jobs. If they lose more by supporting any Obamacare implementation efforts than they would gain from embracing them, they will fight it. Only at-risk Republicans who need voters in the middle more than the TP base will go along, and as little as possible.
Will this fatally divide the GOP? I don't think so.
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