Obamacare Small Ball––The Republicans Are Winning The Battle Over The Big Idea
Last week the President waded directly into the national debate over "ObamaCare" by calling a big media event in the East Room of the White House to talk about the $100 rebates a small percentage of potentially eligible people are getting under the new health law.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell countered, "If you’re a family in Covington facing a $2,100 premium increase under ObamaCare, then, really, what would you rather have: a check for $100 or so, or a way to avoid the $2,100 premium increase in the first place?”
NPR's Julie Rovner had a story on Friday––" The Medicaid Controversy––The Republican Governors Should Put Up or Shut Up
So, while the Republicans consistently win on the Big Idea––albeit in almost entirely negative terms because they don't have a comprehensive alternative to "ObamaCare," Democrats play small ball.
Perhaps Democrats can't get past small ball because The Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") itself is small ball.
It is not health care reform––it is an attempt at health insurance reform at a time when all of our health care system––Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance––is not sustainable.
"ObamaCare" is also lots of pages of health insurance market micro management––small ball if there ever was any. Now, the administration is tying itself up like a pretzel trying to figure out how to make it all work with time running out. All the while individuals, small employers and large employers are fretting over how the new law will impact them.
It shouldn't be a surprise that this administration, now buried in the minutia of injecting an extraordinary amount of micro management into a sixth of our economy, would think a $100 rebate for someone already paying thousands of dollars in health insurance premiums would be a major accomplishment.
I opposed "ObamaCare" in the first place because I thought it was a clumsy attempt at insurance reform and certainly not health care reform. Most importantly, I thought it was wrong to make promises––"The Affordable Care Act"––the law was never designed to keep.
Now the administration is in the simpulan phase of trying to convince people this was all a good idea.
But, just exactly what was the idea?
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell countered, "If you’re a family in Covington facing a $2,100 premium increase under ObamaCare, then, really, what would you rather have: a check for $100 or so, or a way to avoid the $2,100 premium increase in the first place?”
NPR's Julie Rovner had a story on Friday––" The Medicaid Controversy––The Republican Governors Should Put Up or Shut Up
So, while the Republicans consistently win on the Big Idea––albeit in almost entirely negative terms because they don't have a comprehensive alternative to "ObamaCare," Democrats play small ball.
Perhaps Democrats can't get past small ball because The Affordable Care Act ("ObamaCare") itself is small ball.
It is not health care reform––it is an attempt at health insurance reform at a time when all of our health care system––Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance––is not sustainable.
"ObamaCare" is also lots of pages of health insurance market micro management––small ball if there ever was any. Now, the administration is tying itself up like a pretzel trying to figure out how to make it all work with time running out. All the while individuals, small employers and large employers are fretting over how the new law will impact them.
It shouldn't be a surprise that this administration, now buried in the minutia of injecting an extraordinary amount of micro management into a sixth of our economy, would think a $100 rebate for someone already paying thousands of dollars in health insurance premiums would be a major accomplishment.
I opposed "ObamaCare" in the first place because I thought it was a clumsy attempt at insurance reform and certainly not health care reform. Most importantly, I thought it was wrong to make promises––"The Affordable Care Act"––the law was never designed to keep.
Now the administration is in the simpulan phase of trying to convince people this was all a good idea.
But, just exactly what was the idea?
