FLASHBACK: One Year Ago, GOP Predicted ‘Armageddon’ If Health Reform Became Law

[ProSense]

FLASHBACK: One Year Ago, GOP Predicted ‘Armageddon’ If Health Reform Became Law

Today is the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act or health care reform into law, which, once fully implemented will cover 32 million Americans and begin to lower the rate of growth in health care spending. In the year since reform passed, however, Republicans in the House repealed the law (only to see the measure fall in the Senate) and are now attempting to defund reform. During the nearly 10-month legislative battle that preceded passage, the GOP characterized the bill as a “socialist” “government takeover” and warned Americans that the bill would destroy lives and American society, hurling apocalyptic warnings that seem downright satirical a year later. Below are some of their most outrageous claims:

- REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): Passage of health reform is “Armageddon” because the law will “ruin our country.” (3/20/2010)

- FRMR. SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA): Health reform “will destroy the country” because, “in the next year or so,” America will have to “dramatically cut the military because we can’t pay for it.” (10/23/2010)

- SEN. TOM COBURN (R-OK): “There will be no insurance industry left in three years.” (10/12/2010)

- REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN): “On page 16, you can read for yourself that no new health insurance policies can be written once this federal plan comes into effect.” (7/17/2009)

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- REP. VIRGINIA FOXX (R-NC): “The Republican plan will] make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.” (7/28/09)

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[no_hypocrisy]

1. For some existing healthcare policy holders it was a true prediction.

I heard on The Brian Lehrer show (NPR/WNYC) about an hour ago a caller who claimed that her monthly policy is now $18,000 a year, more than some annual salaries. It rose from $12,000.

[still_one]

4. My premiums rose 20% from last year /nt

[ProSense]

5. What was a "true prediction"?

"Armageddon" or "it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government"?

Health care cost have been going up every year for decades, moreso in recent years.

Rising health care cost cannot be blamed on a bill passed last year and not yet fully implemented.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Rising health insurance premiums (that would've risen anyway)

have been a *convenient* way to attack the law even though the law itself (which, as you noted) hasn't even been fully implemented yet. I received a letter outlining changes in our state's health insurance (I am a public employee) last November citing the law as one reason for our ever declining quality of health insurance provided. :eyes:
When I first started working for the State of Indiana back in 1999, I was paying roughly $5-6 for good individual health insurance through M-Plan and even after getting married in 2003, our insurance premiums were still very reasonable and remained really good until about 2006-2007 when M-Plan went out of business and the only serious option we had was Anthem BCBS and we were unable to afford anything other than a HDHP.

[still_one]

2. The HCR as enacted is farthest thing from socialism, and that is part of the problem, it is

still unaffordable for lot of people, and that supposed coverage won't kick in fully until 2012. Can they wait until then if they have a pre-existing conditions?

Can someone who lost their job have to wait 6 months without insurance before being eligible, and then it still is not cheap?

[OHdem10]

3. Recently the GOP have taken up arms against HCR once

again. Gingrich has predicted it will no longer be
law post 2013.

[still_one]

6. What I find interesting is that a lot of Democrats ran away from it during the midterms

and I only saw a half-hearted defense of it by the administration.

Why?

[Bragi]

7. So how are the dems celebrating this triumph?

I ask because it seems to me that things are a bit quiet on the one-year-later celebration front.

[nykym]

8. Well they were partially right

Health Care legislation passed and the republics (note the spelling) are slowly enacting legislation across the nation that is bringing us to the brink of Armageddon.

[NV Whino]

9. So that explains my 2-day power outage