The GOP’s attack on Obamacare has taken on a new tactic since the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional. They no longer could make the argument that the Affordable Care Act should be repealed on constitutional grounds. They now have a new one. “ It is a tax increase. Yes, Obamacare in its entirety is a tax. Taxes are evil. Therefore it should be overturned.”
Come on, GOP. Stop spinning. Consumers have a choice: they can pay the penalty for not having health insurance or they can get health insurance, made affordable by Obamacare The sick-deniers who believe in their own immortality and their ability to turn up at an emergency room if things get really bad are the only ones who will pay the mandate tax if they persist in being irresponsible.. The tax is a penalty, but it is also a way to get slackers to pay for services. It is those seeking a free lunch that the GOP wants to protect.
Yes, the GOP will now make the case that it is wrong to tax free riders and free loaders who cost us all money by going naked with insurance on some misplaced faith that they will never get sick, be in an accident, or die in a way that would put them in a hospital. We are already paying for those slackers who refuse to take individual responsibility. We are also paying for those who cannot afford to buy health insurance because they do not have enough income. The medical costs of the free loaders and the near poor costs are passed onto insured families in higher premiums, higher copay and less coverage to the tune of $10000.
The medical free loaders are not the only free loaders in this country. Look in your mirror; you may be one of those who want the services but do not want to pay for them in taxes or fees in the future. Colorado Springs cut their 2012 firefighting budget and the deeply GOP El Paso County sends those to Congress who are sworn to a budget that would cut non discretionary spending that includes cutting federal money for firefighting and disaster funding. Post the Waldo Canyon fire there, I wonder what they do with their budget next year. I wonder, too, if their Congressman sees any connection.
George W Bush knew this. That is why he launched two wars and gave seniors a welcome relief in drug care benefits, and got a large reduction in taxes for the rich without paying for it in taxes or any other measure. That is why he busted a balanced budget and ran up the deficit. He was under some assumptions that tax cuts would stimulate the economy enough to create tax revenue to offset this. How wrong he was. Even before the Great Recession of the last years of his administration, the assumption was faulty and the economy had not been stimulated and unemployed was already ticking up. The crash of 2008 made recovery based on increased revenue to the treasury a laugh, and 40% of the current deficit is the result of the loss to tax revenue because of the recession that reduced taxpayers incomes and profits.
Polls show that overwhelmingly numbers of voters want their pre-existing conditions to be covered, to be able to afford insurance if their employer does not provide it, or the insurance plan they are on cannot kick you off if you are sick, or expenses surpass the lifetime limit, or if they are laid off or even fired. They do want their college age kids to be on their insurance policies. They just did not want the package plan of Obamacare that figured a way to get these benefits paid for with a some more taxes on the rich,, and making uninsured take responsibility for getting insurance and paying into the system as much as their income level would allow.
So, GOP, now is the time to show your payfors for the benefits consumers your own supporters want and need. You should know by now there is no such thing as a free lunch..
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