Give Me Health Care or Give Me Death
Well, the days of death panels are quickly coming to a close now that the GOP has set the date for the repeal of Obamacare. Or most of Obamacare. Or at least some of it. And they have even announced a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, the health care law that one third of this country doesn’t realize is the same thing as Obamacare. The good times are on their way again. And Republicans are crowing that the wicked witch is dead.
I don’t know if we should dig the grave just yet. Those folks who want to keep the Affordable Care Act and get rid of Obamacare, they might be disappointed when they learn that ignorance might be bliss, but it’s going to be expensive. And once again, when the sausage of this new health care bill gets ground, the process is going to be on full display. Drop the funding for Planned Parenthood? 65% of us want to keep it funded. Give vouchers for health care? You got tea party Republicans who see that as one more entitlement they can’t afford. Cut off Medicaid to the states who expanded Obamacare? Plenty of governors who are going to scream bloody murder. Drop the requirement that everyone has to get in the pool to drop insurance rates? I’m betting the kids and the healthy aren’t going to sign up. Might as well wait for that first heart attack.
We were just down at the Emergency Room a few nights ago, the mizzus and me. If you’ve only seen that on prime time TV, trust me, it’s an eye-opener on what the guts of health care look like when you need it NOW. Cat scan, x-rays, blood tests, urine analysis, lab work — you aren’t thinking about the cost right then. But you will…. Nearly two million of us will file bankruptcy protection from those bills this coming year. And 56 million of us will struggle to pay those bills. One of the sponsors of the new health care bill said today that folks might have to choose between buying that new I-phone and health insurance. No problem, save a couple hundred dollars and get themselves a …. what kind of policy does he think a few hundred dollars will buy under their new care plan??? At least he didn’t say choose between food and health care. But I suspect that will be the real choice for a large number of us. Compassionate conservatism long ago went out of fashion. It was an oxymoron then and now it’s a bad tweet.
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