Obamacare and GOP Nihilism

A little while back I outlined the Affordable Care Act and its major provisions in a mostly apolitical piece.  Please check that out if you need some background.  Now I'd like to look at a bit of the politics involved as the major requirements come into effect next year.  Congressional Republicans, and some state-level ones, are doing their utmost to kill Obamacare, and are coming off looking like nihilistic, unprofessional fools in the process.  Let's look at three different ways they are trying to sabotage the law, and then I'll briefly examine why they hate it so much - in short, they are afraid it will work and people will like it.

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First, though, let's reiterate that the ACA is the law of the land, and has been since 2010.  Some of its provisions are already in place (like guaranteeing that kids can stay on their parents' insurance until they're 25).  The Supreme Court had a chance to sign off on it, and even conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voted in favor of its constitutionality.  The voters had a chance to repeal it in 2012 by electing a Republican President and Congress; they declined.  Obamacare is going to happen.  The requirements to obtain insurance are going into effect next year.  It's fine to still be opposed to the law.  But instead of acknowledging reality and helping people understand Obamacare, the GOP is stuck in the delusion that they can destroy it before it begins.  It's time to wake up.

Dereliction of Congressional Duty

Let's start with the sabotage attempt that ticks me off the most.  Some Congressional Republicans are refusing to help their constituents who have questions about the ACA, instead telling them to ask the Obama administration.  It is a Congressperson's duty to aid their constituents with problems.  That is why the taxpayers pay their salary.  Legislators of both parties for over 200 years have helped people understand laws that they might not have voted for.  But not Obamacare!  Got a question about this (admittedly) confusing new law?  Not my problem!

And the worst offender in this regard?  My parents' own Congressman, Tim Huelskamp of Kansas' First District:

"Given that we come from Kansas, it's much easier to say, 'Call your former governor,'" said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R), referring to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
"You say, 'She's the one. She's responsible. She was your governor, elected twice, and now you reelected the president, but he picked her.'" Huelskamp said.

This is so shameful it makes me sick.  Yes, the Obama administration is the ultimate authority on the ACA.  But given the electoral demographics of the Big First, I would imagine many people would feel more comfortable getting their info from Huelskamp's office.  But he's not interested in that.  He hates the law, so he doesn't want to inform people about it.  He didn't vote for it, so it's not his concern.  What a show of "personal responsibility" from that Republican.  But he's still cool his cashing his paycheck and utilizing his excellent government-funded health care.  This is how much the Tea Party actually cares for the concerns of us ordinary schlubs.  It is the epitome of "I got mine, now screw you."  What angers me the most?  Huelskamp will likely sail to an unopposed reelection.  Sigh.

Preying on the Young

The conservative think tank FreedomWorks just launched a campaign to get people to burn their "Obamacare draft cards," which is kinda funny since there's no such thing.  In short, the group wants to crumble the law by getting as many people as possible to pay the penalty instead of getting health insurance.  That would reduce the risk pool, which might get the insurance companies to eventually back out, if they're left insuring a bunch of sick people with no healthy people to contribute.

Their particular target is young adults, who are prone to a feeling of invincibility and thus might be naturally resistant to getting health insurance.  So FreedomWorks is actually going with the PR message of "having health insurance is totally uncool, guys!"  Wow, what a great idea to teach people.  Now, it's true that in the first few years of the ACA the annual penalty would be less than the insurance premiums a young adult would pay, including a subsidy to offset the costs.  But eventually it'll be cheaper to have insurance, which also provides the significant benefit of ... having health insurance.  These are young adults facing a tenuous job market, wage stagnation, and for many of them, a mountain of student loan debt.  One medical emergency could ruin their finances.  But FreedomWorks would rather say "it's cool to be risky" than acknowledging that a modest investment in health insurance will make them healthier, happier, and more productive to society and the economy.  All in the name of repealing a law their millionaire backers don't like.

Holding the Government Hostage

The House GOP as a whole is utterly useless.  They couldn't even pass a transportation bill - normally a fairly easy, bipartisan effort because everybody can get tangible projects to take back to their districts - your tax dollars at work.  But this group hates government so much they couldn't even do that.  Governance by nihilism is not responsible governance.  It is taking your ball and going home, and it is a disgrace.  But you know what the House GOP has managed to do 40 times since 2010?  Pass totally pointless Obamacare repeal votes.  They really wanna send the message that they hate the ACA, huh?  How about maybe working with Democrats to change parts of the law you don't like?  No, that would be compromise, and the right wing media knows that to compromise with a liberal is anathema.  You would be DOA in today's Republican Party.

And now the next step - 2016 Presidential hopefuls Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz (along with perennial Tea Party tag-along Sen. Mike Lee) are leading an effort to refuse to fund the federal government at all unless Obamacare is repealed.  That's right - they hate the ACA so much that they are willing to shut down the entire government, and bears the effects thereof, rather than see it go into effect.  The best part?  Rubio then had the cahones to turn around and accuse President Obama of trying to shut down the government!:

"He will insist on shutting down government unless ObamaCare is fully funded," Rubio wrote. "But we simply cannot continue to pour money into this rapidly imploding program."

 Not to repeat myself, but Obamacare is funded, it is the law, and it's not so easy to separate it out now that it's in motion.  But - I think it's rather unfair to say the program is "rapidly imploding," given that it's not even fully implemented yet.  Fortunately, some Republicans acknowledge that holding the federal government hostage over Obamacare is a dumb idea, and it's likely to not go anywhere.  Still, the attitude displayed by these nihilists speaks volumes.

Why the GOP Hates Obamacare

There are two major reasons why the GOP wants to bury the ACA.  First is practical - it hits some of them in their pocketbooks.  Obamacare's subsidies are paid for by a tax increase on top earners (likely, no one reading this has to worry about it).  So they will go all out to avoid that.

The second reason is a bit more esoteric, but likely more important in the long run.  In short, the GOP is afraid that Obamacare is going to work.  Oh sure, there are going to be some hiccups, especially in red states where the governors have refused Medicaid expansion and the governments have little to no interest in helping their residents understand and participate in the new law.  But if many people come to see the benefits of mandatory health insurance, it could become as much of cornerstone of our society as Social Security and Medicare.  That will destroy the GOP's arguments about how government programs don't help, hurt the economy, and create a society of moochers.  It will further damage their reputation, and it'll be hard for them to respond given all the effort they've invested in stopping implementation.  Therefore, it will likely only be a matter of time before they try to take credit for it (mark my words, Romneycare will be back in fashion).

As we approach January 1, 2014, I again urge you to stay informed about the ACA.  But, please do not get your info from right-wing sources like Fox News.  I hope I've made it clear here that the GOP's number one priority is to destroy Obamacare.  They do not care about helping people understand and participate in the law, or even providing accurate information about it.  There are no death panels!  The Affordable Care Act could be a success or ultimate failure.  But it deserves a chance, and has the right to be judged on its own merits.