The whole idea behind the scam known as Obamacare — from its Stalinist passage along a strict party line vote, to its ludicrous state “exchanges,” to its predictably parlous financial condition, to its misuse of a politicized IRS to act as its enforcer, to its destruction of the reputation of a pusillanimous and cowardly chief justice John Roberts — was to wreck the American private-insurance industry so dramatically that a demoralized and anxious public would demand socialized medicine, aka a “single-payer” system. That day is now here:
The fierce struggle to enact and carry out the Affordable Care Act was supposed to put an end to 75 years of fighting for a health care system to insure all Americans. Instead, the law’s troubles could make it just a way station on the road to another, more stable health care system, the shape of which could be determined on Election Day.
Seeing a lack of competition in many of the health law’s online insurance marketplaces, Hillary Clinton, President Obama and much of the Democratic Party are calling for more government, not less.
The departing president, the woman who seeks to replace him and nearly one-third of the Senate have endorsed a new government-sponsored health plan, the so-called public option, to give consumers an additional choice. A significant number of Democrats, for whom Senator Bernie Sanders spoke in the primaries, favor a single-payer arrangement, which could take the form of Medicare for all.
Yeah, like Medicare — which is basically insolvent — is so great.
Donald J. Trump and Republicans in Congress would go in the direction of less government, reducing federal regulation and requirements so insurance would cost less and no-frills options could proliferate. Mr. Trump would, for example, encourage greater use of health savings accounts, allow insurance policies to be purchased across state lines and let people take tax deductions for insurance premium payments.
In such divergent proposals lies an emerging truth: Mr. Obama’s signature domestic achievement will almost certainly have to change to survive.
Next Page: Talk about a bait-and-switch! Live footage of Obamacare’s collapse.
Talk about a bait-and-switch! America, you’ve been had. And the guys who’ve had you, in addition to the crooks in Congress, work for the American media, who just the other day were assuring us that everything was okey-dokey with the Patient Deflection and Unaffordable Care Act. Why, here’s the ineffable Dana Milbank, writing in the Washington Post on Sept. 30:
It was a case of the dog that didn’t bark. For 90 minutes on Monday, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton clashed in their first presidential debate on a full range of issues. But meriting not a single mention? Obamacare.
The Affordable Care Act ripped apart the nation and dominated political argument for several years. But now, six years after enactment, Obamacare isn’t on the radar screen during this election. And for good reason: The predicted apocalypse has not occurred.
It’s hard to throw the bums out when they’re all bums.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member