Republicans think they’ve just happened upon a major moment in the never-ending political debate over Obamacare: Newly discovered video of White House consultant Jonathan Gruber’s controversial comments about the passage of the law. In the video, from 2013, Gruber suggests the details of the law were obscured in order to assure its passage. He says the bill relied on the “stupidity of the … Read More
Suicide – Brave Or Cowardly?
A person from my past had issues. She was diagnosed with Bipolar I, which they don't diagnose unless you have psychotic episodes, which she claimed to have had. I never witnessed any (I don't think); in fact, what I witnessed mostly was the depressive side of her bipolarity, which included a suicide attempt or two. In that depressive state, we would … Read More
The Cost Of Obamacare Repeal
The GOP wants to run on repealing Obamacare in the upcoming elections? How will that play at the state level? A new Department of Health and Human Services report documents the impact federal subsidies under Obamacare are having on the insurance costs of people receiving them, and the Plum Line gives the bottom line: But if subsidies were repealed, people … Read More
Ripple Effect
Among the dead in the Malaysian Air shootdown — about 100 people from the World Health Organization going to an AIDS conference. According to the Associated Press, the exact number of individuals who were killed on their way to the conference is unconfirmed. However, Australian officials have noted that “there is no doubt it’s a substantial number” that includes “medical scientists, … Read More
Gallop: Number of Uninsured Is The Lowest We’ve Recorded
13.4%, baby. Which means Fox News has to talk about something else….
Go On Offense
Just a week ago, things looked bleak for Democrats and Obama for 2014. But then thePaul Ryan Vanity Project collided with 7 million new signups under the Affordable Care Act, and now the Democrats have the makings of a winning ticket for this year: Go on offense. One of Karl Rove’s basic tenets of politics was to attack from your area of weakness. In the … Read More
The Hobby Lobby Case
Justice Anthony Kennedy, on whose vote the Hobby Lobby SCOTUS case rests, seems very concerned about the government forcing corporations to cover abortion: WASHINGTON, DC — Justice Anthony Kennedy thinks gay people are fabulous. All three of the Supreme Court’s most important gay rights decisions were written by Justice Kennedy. So advocates for birth control had a simple task today: convince Kennedy … Read More
Be Wary Of Obamacare “Losers” You See On TV
From HealthInsurance.org: For months, health reform’s opponents have been feasting on tales of Obamacare’s innocent victims – Americans who lost their insurance because it doesn’t comply with the ACA’s regulations, and now have to shell out more than they can afford – or go without coverage. Trouble is, many of those stories just aren’t true. Yesterday I posted about a Fort Worth Star Telegram article that … Read More
Prediction
There are many many many things wrong with our healthcare system, including things that drive up costs. None of this is the fault of Obamacare. But you can be sure that these problems will come to light, and it will be blamed on Obamacare, even if those problems have been around for decades.
Dumbest Comparison Ever
On Mandela: “He was fighting against some great injustice, and I would make the argument that we have a great injustice going on right now in this country with an ever-increasing size of government that is taking over and controlling people’s lives — and Obamacare is front and center in that." Folks, if you try to compare affordable health care … Read More
Rand Paul And Doughnuts
Rand is all up in arms over the jack-booted doughnut snatchers: Sen. Rand Paul warned Americans that the federal government is targeting doughnuts, the latest example of the oppressive nanny state in America. "They're coming after your doughnuts!" the Kentucky Republican said, referring to the Food and Drug Administration decision to ban trans fats. Paul added that if the FDA … Read More
Sarah Palin’s Word Salad
Sarah Palin is on a media tour to promote her silly book about a nonexistent "War on Christmas," and appeared on the Today show with a tasty new right wing word salad, achieving (not for the first time) total incoherence: The plan is to allow those things that had been proposed over many years to reform a health-care system in America that … Read More
Republican Alternatives To Obamacare
As the White House struggles with the rollout of Obamacare’s online health insurance marketplace, pressure has mounted within the Republican Party to begin offering conservative alternatives that address the nation’s health care crisis. Here are some of the plans the GOP is considering: Repeating the phrase “you can keep your current doctor” over and over until something happens Loosening regulations … Read More
Red State Leads In Obamacare
It's true — the federal government websites for signing up for the Affordable Care Act are glitchy. And an embarrassment to the Obama Administration. And Obama will suffer repercussions for that. But when Obama says that websites are glitchy, and the Affordable Care Act isn't, he's right. Obamacare isn't the websites. Not even close. And the other thing is, the … Read More