The Latest Right-Wing Freakout Over Obamacare

[RussBLib]

As usual, it's been rather difficult to find a dispassionate, reasoned look at the latest development of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aka "Obamacare." But Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic does a pretty good job. It's not all that long. Take a look.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114297/obamacare-consumer-protection-delay-and-conservative-overreaction

The headline was splashed across the top of the Drudge Report this morning: “Obamacare Cost Caps Delayed Until 2015.” The link went to a New York Times story about another Obamacare regulatory decision—in this case, a ruling that some employers have one more year before they must comply with one of the law’s key consumer protections.

The ruling itself isn't supposed to be such a surprise. The Administration signaled its intentions in February. But almost nobody (including me) noticed it until last night, when the Times posted a story by Robert Pear. Now some of the law’s critics are pouncing. They say it’s more proof that the law is a “train wreck” and that the administration is sticking it to consumers. “Once again the president is giving a break to big businesses struggling with his health care law while individuals and families unfairly remain stuck under its mandates,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement. “This report is just the latest evidence that the law is too costly and too complex to work – and that it’s not being implemented fairly.”

Everybody needs to breathe—and to put the story in its proper, rather different context.

snip

Of course, Boehner and his allies are taking that argument even farther: Obama is standing with big business, they say, in order to screw the little guy. The implication seems to be that they—i.e, the Republicans—would do things differently. Each part of that argument is downright nutty.

Obama is the one limiting what charges insurers can pass along to consumers, in order to protect people with serious illness from financial ruin. He deferred a consumer protection by one year, yes, but he still wants it to take effect. Boehner and the rest of the law’s critics oppose such regulations. If they had their way, people with serious medical problems would face even higher bills and have less access to insurance. In other words, Obamacare critics aren't hyping this news because they wish consumer protections for the sick would take effect now. They're hyping the news because they wish consumer protections for the sick would go away forever.

The essential truth of Obamacare remains what it has always been: It's an imperfect law, being introduced under imperfect circumstances. But it's still going to make life better for millions of people—even if some of that helps takes an extra year to arrive.

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. What does it tell you ...

when right wing arguments appear on DU.

Look up the previously posted thread on the delay and read the comments.

Telling ... very telling.

[RussBLib]

2. there have been several (previously posted threads)

...and most of them seem to slam Obama for this, that, or the other. I know I don't read every thread here on DU, but I do see a whole lot of vitriol directed at Obama. Some unfounded. Some deserved. It does seem that there is a kneejerk negativity. Maybe that comes from being screwed around by so many for so long. Usually, if you can get past the kneejerk crap from the left and the right, you can actually find a reasonable argument. But wading through the flood on the internet can get frustrating.

But I'm not sure I understand your point, 1StrongBlackMan. Would you care to elaborate what you mean?

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. I am saying ...

that this vitrol directed towards this President and Democrats, in general, is about as organic as the ObamaCare Townhalls in the summer of 2009.