Things will get worse before they get better, and the ones most impacted by this will be mostly in the red states. All you can say is “they brought it upon themselves”.
But I wonder if they will have the gumption or grit (which ever catch word we’re using today) to make the change politically. On one hand I know your “they brought it upon themselves” is correct but if there is no change in voting patterns then wouldn’t that be an indication that something else is driving them to vote against their own best interests?
Trumps promise of insurance for everyone at lower cost now seems to be a spectacular failure. The only remedy is universal health insurance aka medicare for all.
Which if we, the Democratic Party, had the gumption then that clip(s) would be plastered all over the 2018, the mid terms, and 2020. It would not only expose Trump but the Republicans for who they really are…but then I’m dreaming.
The Republicans will, undoubtedly, do great damage to Obamacare, healthcare, and health generally. People will be sicker, and some will die, as a result. Unfortunately, it’s too late to change that much. The long term question is whether Republicans will be blamed–as they should be–or if they can somehow evade responsibility. It is up to responsible people to make sure that the blame goes where it should.
How do you know that? If you think Democrats are not going to capitalize on the failure of the Rs to preserve ACA you haven’t been paying attention. Campaigning for the 2018 midterms won’t begin until the new year, and they’re going to hammer on single payer or an equivalent.
Paul Krugman wrote in one of his NYT columns recently that single-payer, Medicare for All and Obamacare done right are three viable approaches to providing universal health care. Single payer is in place in the UK; Australia has a form of Medicare for All; and the Netherlands has a system much like Obamacare but much better (I assume with lower costs or better subsidies and a real mandate). All three systems work well. The problem of moving to a single-payer system from where we are now is that about 55% of the population is covered by employer-provided insurance, and most people like the plans they are on through their employer. While most of us would prefer single-payer, an improved form of Obamacare would certainly be better than any of the Rs’ so-called plans.
The big problem for Obamacare is Justice Roberts’ vote against the mandate – he would accept it only as a tax, which weakened it since many people are willing to just pay the tax instead of signing up. I wonder if single-payer would survive a challenge in the Supreme Court. In my view, we need to (1) elect a Democratic president; (2) fill the next few SCt. vacancies with decent judges; (3) enact improved health care legislation; and (4) survive any future SCt. challenges.
I’m pretty sure I read Krugman’s column on this topic, and he’s right. Employer provided insurance would be a disincentive. But I was trying to point out the lack of confidence too many Democrats have in those Democrats in Congress who are able to get legislation passed. As if we should just throw up our hands and say, oh, the Rs won’t let us, look how loudly they’re objecting, we won’t get anything done, woe is me. For that mentality I call bullshit.
As to SCOTUS, it’s lost to us for many, many years, and the shiny new coin that is Gorsuch has shown his colors by going to the confab at a trumpp hotel. So a Democratic majority in the Senate to fight against another conservative nominee is part of the solution.
A lot of the old farts I know still blame Obamacare for every problem they have with their insurance, and virtually all of them have some form of Medicare. The stupid in this country is deep and wide and Fox is feeding it steroids as fast as it can.
The problem in America is the ignorance and apathy of the voters. Ignorance on the part of people who do vote, and apathy on the part of people who don’t vote but should. If the survival of a democratic republic depends upon an informed electorate, we are simply fucked. There is no other way to look at it.
Don’t forget that Obamacare repealed failed by a single vote, John McCain. McCain is gravely ill, if he dies before he completes his term he will likely be replaced by a Republican who would vote away Obamacare.
And the GOP will add 2-4 senate seats in 2018. Unless we win the House, the ACA is dead.
But, her e-mails.
Gotcha Donald, is exactly the thoughts that Putin Has every time he’s around you. Trump seems to be playing the submissive role in this relationship. If he such a smart guy and a great negotiator how could this have happened to Donald Trump!
Donald Trump is caught between a rock and a hard spot, a catch 22, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.