The Republican controlled Congress is struggling to approve a bill which will hopefully end major provisions of the “Affordable Care Act (ACA).” While the successful end of this endeavor would be immensely beneficial to a super-majority of Americans who are suffering under the law with vastly reduced benefits and sky-high premium increases, the Democrats are predictably running around like Chicken Little shouting about the sky falling.
As Republicans try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they should be reminded every day that 36,000 people will die yearly as a result.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 12, 2017
Behold, a grown man.
Wearing skeleton gloves.
Comparing the repeal of Obamacare to premeditated murder. #WithoutHealthcare pic.twitter.com/gFAC9YN9gu— Craig R. Brittain (@CraigRBrittain) January 14, 2017
But what is the real legacy of Obamacare? Is it the “20 million” new people who have “insurance” because of it? Nope. A huge majority of that number are new enrollees to Medicaid. Could it possibly be the unprecedented power grab by the federal government to force citizens to buy a product? And then the landmark Supreme Court case, in which Chief Justice Roberts cast the deciding vote, essentially enabling the federal government to do anything it pleases as long as it calls its enforcement penalties “a tax?” Or perhaps the cascade of insurance premium increases that are being heaped on consumers to pay for the massively increased cost of healthcare due to the ACA’s mandates? Take a look:
Though the ACA was enacted in 2010, it’s major provisions did not take effect until 2014. As you can see from the chart above, from 2013 to 2014 premiums increased by 38%. Without the ACA, premiums were expected to increase around 11% — so that is a 27% uptick with Obamacare. From 2014 to 2015, premiums increased by an additional 31% — and are expected to climb at ever expanding rates substantially into the future. Anecdotal evidence abounds within the population regarding the effects of these increases on people’s available treatment options due to decreasing benefit packages and sharply rising costs — so the progressive think-tanks and government offices putting out bogus numbers like “we only had a 2% or 7% increase” just aren’t flying with the majority of thinking Americans.
Let’s be real for a minute. The ACA is behaving exactly the way it was designed to. Its purpose was to balloon prices, forcing insurers out of business by slowly funneling everyone into Medicaid and then BOOOM! — single payer system (universal government healthcare). Moving toward a system like that of Great Britain, Canada, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, etc., is not in the best interest of the United States. We have the most advanced healthcare facilities in the world because the market was allowed to work (even though severely hamstrung by progressive meddling). What will make our system even better? More meddling by Marxists in Democratic clothing? No, and thank goodness a significant number of representatives in Congress understand this.
What do you think? Would the repeal of Obamacare be a good thing, or does it feel like the sky is falling? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.