Now that HCR has passed, the right-wing pundints have regurgitated numerous bits of misinformation and many instances of downright falsehoods to perpetuate the system of fear and hatred that they have built over the last decade. Democrats from every walk of life are now called "socialists", "communists", and even "facists" (funny, considering facism is a far-right political ideology). Couple this with some fact-stretching by the left, and the average American has 2 choices: 1) to give in to the fear, believing that we will soon be a communist state; or 2) believe that all our problems will be magically erased, with time and the eventual implementation of HCR. The truth lies somewhat to the left, since the right has been spewing outright lies; but falls short of the magical elixer that liberals had hoped for.
First, HCR was not, by any means, shoved down the throats of the Republican representatives, and passed in the dark of night. For many months, the Obama Administration reached across the aisle to garner Republican support and, in fact, held a televised healthcare summit which allowed for several viewpoints from both sides of the aisle. In fact, many Republicans seemed to agree with the healthcare reform bill that was being debated, and offered several additional facets that would make it more attractive to Republicans, such as implementing stronger measures to prevent Medicaid and Medicare fraud and helping small businesses to provide coverage for their employees through a hefty tax incentive.
Unfortunately, after scrapping some of the strongest parts of reform, such as the Single Payer Option, and adding several Republican ideas, not one Republican voted for HCR. Now, it's important to note that the main thrust of "Obamacare" strongly resembles Mitt Romney's proposal for healthcare reform during the 2008 election. Many liberal pundints are calling this healthcare reform "Romneycare" to counter the conservative mantra.
Immediately following passage of this bill, the barely-recognized Tea Party people began to come out of the woodwork in droves carrying signs that depicted Obama as a Socialist, Communist, or Facist, and yelling about the government having too much involvement in our lives; that this HCR is the first step to a Marxist State, where our individual rights will be trampled upon! But in their other hands were signs demanding that Obama leave their Medicare alone! And they were unable to see the complete irony in that! They yelled that social programs are enabling poor people to be lazy and sponge off a system that eliminates all incentives to make something of oneself. They used public transportation to meet in a public park with police protections, and had food and water that the FDA deemed safe for human consumption while they rallied against social programs that paid for that transportation, paid for the upkeep of that park, paid for the police protection, ensured the safety of the food and water, and on and on. Again, the irony was completely lost on them.
So back to the bill. Why did the Republicans vote against HCR lock, stock, and barrel, even though they actually agreed with much of the bill? Because they are banking on misinformation and outright lies to scare the American populace into voting Republicans into a majority in November, effectively crippling the Obama administration from any further legislation, and then claiming that the Democrats are, once again, ineffectual at leadership. They intend on using the massive hatred and racial division that Obama's election has raised to perpetuate that campaign of fear through the next election cycle, when they see a clear and concise Republican Presidential win. Then they can basically defunct "Obamacare", restructure it slightly to appear more conservative in nature, and resubmit it as the magical elixer for all our problems. However, the Republican form of healthcare reform continues to deregulate insurance companies, and gradually eliminates Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Many top Republicans are currently debating ways to cripple Obamacare before it has the ability to be realized through blocking congressional funding. And several state Attorneys General have filed lawsuits to question the constitutionality of HCR.
Unfortunately, the Democrats helped to cripple this bill before it was passed. There are numerous loopholes in this law that allow the inusrance companies to lobby for lower regulation; in fact, the insurance companies have made substantial contributions to the writing of this bill. Once the single payer option was eliminated, this bill became a boon for corporate America, building on the current system, mandating that everyone be covered (ensuring the coffers of the insurance company will continue to grow). The implementation of the law is so slow that many Americans will be left in the cold waiting for coverage, and some estimate that tens of thousands of Americans will die each year without coverage in spite of HCR being passed into law this March. As time ticks by and loopholes are found through corporate lobbyists, the ability for stronger legislation to pass becomes a harder task to accomplish.
However, this is an important first step. If the Democrats can pull together and become a strong party, perhaps they can pull off a true magical miracle. Already, many people are starting to see the benefits of healthcare reform, such as the continuation of coverage for adult children up to age 26.
According to healthreform.gov, there are several immediate improvements that people will begin to see this year. For example, small businesses have already been receiving information concerning the tax incentives created to assist them with offering healthcare to their employees. And insurance companies can no longer block coverage for children with pre-existing conditions. States are currently working with the government to develop a high-risk pool to help cover people that have been unable to receive coverage due to their pre-existing conditions. And soon, people cannot have their insurance coverage dropped because they get sick.
The hope of the Democrats is that the Republican fear-mongering will give way to reality as people begin to see these benefits. Just as people want government to leave Medicare alone, so they hope healthcare will follow that path. And gradually, stronger legislation will be passed, leading to a single payer option.
It's important to research information and make your own mind up. What are your thoughts? Knowledge is power.. Namaste!
http://www.healthreform.gov/
www.usnews.com/blogs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
and the opposing view:
http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare/resources
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