The bad news just keeps growing for the Republican teabaggers that hate the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). As the chart above shows, the number of people that bought private insurance through the health exchanges authorized Obamacare topped 8 million people for 2014. Now the sign-ups are being done for 2015, and the number of purchasers has already topped 9.5 million (and will likely top 10 million, since the deadline is not until February 15th). With every passing day, there are more people who now have insurance -- and will be angered if the GOP repeals Obamacare and takes that insurance away from them.
Note that I included in the chart above the number of people who have bought their insurance through the federal health care exchange instead of a state exchange -- about 7.1 million (and that is also expected to grow before the deadline in February). I included that, because right-wingers have have case pending in the Supreme Court that would deny the subsidy to anyone getting insurance through the the federal exchange instead of a state exchange. If they win that case, most of that 7.1 million would lose their insurance -- because they got a subsidy to help them pay for it (and probably won't be able to afford insurance without the subsidy).
The congressional Republicans support that right-wing effort, because it would do what they have not been able to do -- virtually destroy Obamacare. But they are playing with fire. As the chart below shows, a significant majority of the American public likes the subsidies -- and if the court rules against those subsidies, they want Congress to re-instate them quickly. That puts the GOP Congress between a rock (their teabagger base) and a hard place (the public). Their only hope of not losing support somewhere is for the Supreme Court to rule against them.
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There is also news that the House will once again vote to repeal Obamacare. They know that such a move will not be approved by the Senate, and could not survive a presidential veto. But they want to give the new members a chance to vote to repeal to keep their teabagger base in their home districts happy. It is a purely political move. That's good for them, because they would make a lot of people unhappy if they could actually repeal it (a move that would be supported by less than a third of the public).
such edjets
ReplyDeleteThat whole "new members haven't had a chance to vote to repeal Obamacare yet" thing is so silly. It shows that the Republicans do not take governing seriously. What's the point of it? Well, I think I do know. As a revolutionary group, the Republicans are basically all or nothing. As long as they don't control both the White House and Congress, they will do nothing. Half measures are no good. It's all about purity. And so they have to constantly demonstrate that purity.
ReplyDeleteAs for King v Burwell, I'm mixed. Most commentators seem to think that it will be bad for Republicans. I'm not convinced. I suspect that their reaction to it will just be more, "This is why we must repeal this awful law!" After all, I was surprised that the Republicans at the state level have passed up free money that their taxes (at least partly) paid for. I am hopeful there will be a huge backlash against them. But at this point, nothing they do could shock me.
How about being brave and smart rePUKEians and doing the 3rd option with Obama care???
ReplyDeleteYa know find something better that helps more people be healthier and stay that way??? Ya know by making the filthy rich pay??