The left beavers away to preserve Obamacare status quo
We know there are compelling arguments for a complete repeal of Obamacare, as senators such as Rand Paul have urged. We also know that President Trump is right to urge Congress to take half a loaf on reform for now, in what's called Obamacare Lite, rather than nothing at all.
But has anyone taken a look at the activities of the left, which favors a full preservation of the nightmarish Obamacare status quo?
The "Next 48 hours will be all hands on deck," bellowed House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, describing the left's cavalcade of protests; phone-banking; ads; and, this being the left, probably thuggery.
Obama himself has been involved in this activity as well, with these December reports stating he had been plotting out a strategy to save the zero-value program with Democrat political operatives as a campaign operation.
Now they're back, full blast, with their email campaigns, urging everyone to hector and pester their congresspeople to vote no on the Obamacare Lite bill that President Trump wants passed. Here's an example of this email exhortation out in California.
People power works.
Republicans in Congress promised to vote to replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) today on the 7th anniversary of it's passing. But they didn't have the votes to win so they postponed it until tomorrow.
Since his campaign, Trump has promised to repeal and replace Obamacare but his rhetoric is no match for the voices of the people. Thanks to the daily calls from voters like you, Republican Congressional members are struggling to get enough votes to pass the new bill.
Don't stop calling.
The replacement plan – the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – does little to provide healthcare to anyone. The law would replace the assistance Californians get through Covered California with much lower tax credits, limit the amount of funding California receives to provide healthcare for low income seniors, children and those with disabilities, and force California to come up with $10 billion a year to continue to provide healthcare for over 3 million low-income adults.
The damage of this new bill extends to everyone. California would go back to a time when many of our family, friends and neighbors were forced to decide between buying medication and buying groceries, when people had to rely on emergency rooms as primary care facilities, and when one major illness could mean financial ruin.
Keep the pressure on California Republicans that haven't committed to vote NO on the AHCA.
Call one or all of the leaders listed below who are still undecided:
Rep. Jeff Denham – (Stanislaus/San Joaquin) – (209) 579-5458
Rep. David Valdoa – (Kern/Tulare/Fresno) – (661) 864-7736
Rep. Paul Cook – (San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono) – (760) 247-1815
Rep. Steve Knight – (Los Angeles) – (661) 441-0320
Rep. Ed Royce – (Orange) – (626) 964-5123
Rep. Dana Rorabacher – (Orange) – (714) 960-6483
Rep. Darrell Issa – (San Diego) – (760) 599-5000
Tell them: "Hello, My name is _____ and I am a Californian who believes everyone deserve healthcare. Replacing the Affordable Care Act will cost millions of Californians their health insurance and cost our state billions of dollars. We are counting on you to vote NO on the American Healthcare Act."
It's time for them to get in line with what Californians – not their billionaire friends and donors – really want.
Had enough? Not a one of these people has ever had the horrible experience of having to use Obamacare. They've gotten their gold-plated insurance plans from their nonprofit and government employers and now have it made. The Nightmare of Obamacare can be left to the people who have no voice to complain about it – the "deplorables," as it were. Pelosi and her coevals don't care. They just want the current nightmare scenario preserved to ensure that all the consultant contracts, the special interest money pots (imagine what the drug rehab gravy train looks like with Obamacare attaching a bill for drug addict rehab to every Obamacare policy?), and the hipster Bay Area health care executives can continue to collect their $20-million annual salaries (not kidding for some). The rest of us can just suffer Obamacare and continue to pay through the nose.
Critics say the current bill won't lower costs. That may be true. But it will allow people not to buy Obamacare if nothing of value is offered. At least those who don't want the overpriced, larded up, yet worthless $10,000-deductible plans won't have to spend their meager health care dollars on federal fines instead of actual health care. They can take their fine money and go pay a doctor in Mexico, use it to get dental work done (incredibly, Obamacare doesn't think dental care is important enough to include in its mandate even though rehab is), or can get concierge care paying cash. The passage of the bill, no matter how weak, will build momentum for additional freedoms in health care to be worked in over the next four years. The current bill is just a starting point that needs ignition.
Voters will be immensely demoralized if not a single reform can be gotten through because the bill isn't good enough for some Republicans. Obamacare stinks, but not passing a reform bill of some kind will send a signal to the public that the status quo is all they can ever expect from Republicans. After that, we will watch voters flip the House to Democrats in the midterms.
The left, on the other hand, will be thrilled to see President Trump go down in defeat over the bill they keep calling catastrophic. Do the supporters of an absolute repeal really want that?