The numbers of people who now have insurance coverage through the various aspects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) just keeps climbing. The latest total (through Medicaid/CHIP, private insurance purchases, and those under 26 now covered by their parents' insurance) is over 22.2 million people. And the numbers continue to grow.
Last week, the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for the 52nd time to repeal Obamacare, but that was just to keep their teabagger base happy (since most of them still face a party primary). There is no way they want to actually take insurance coverage away from more than 22 million people, which is what their repeal would do. And by 2017, the earliest a repeal could happen (since the president would veto any repeal before then), there will be a lot more than 22 million people that a repeal would hurt.
The Republicans know Obamacare is here to stay. They just don't want to admit it yet (because that would anger their teabagger base). And there is some evidence that they know it. Last week, they joined Democrats in passing some small changes to Obamacare. If they really thought it was so bad it could not succeed, or they could actually repeal it -- then why would they be voting with Democrats to improve it? Two reasons -- they know the program is here to stay, and the business community asked for the small improvement to Obamacare.
But they made the small improvement to Obamacare without any fanfare -- holding no debate on the bill, and passing it on a voice vote (so no member would have to go on record as voting for it). Even though most of them have quietly accepted that Obamacare is here to stay, they know their teabagger base has not. The window for repeal has closed, and the Republicans are now just playing political games.
Just think how many more people could have been signed up if the remaining 24 states agreed to the Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Potentially another 10 million or so!
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