Okay, so I think I have a basic-ish understanding of Obamacare. What I still would like is a list of reasons Republicans are against it and explanation why. And none of the "OBAMA IS SATAN" crap. I want facts.
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1. It was passed by Democrats, and in particular, Obama - a President the Republicans particularly hate above all others. This plan actually originated from the Republicans years ago.
2. I believe the real fear is that it will work and become another historical, landmark bill passed by the Democrats, like the Civil Rights Act, Social Security, Medicare.
3. Many Republicans, especially the masses, don't really understand it. It's not socialized medicine in any way (it's private market insurance where ins cos compete to sell people policies).
4. Many people think it's providing free health care to the masses (like that's a bad thing, anyway), but it's not. If you're an individual earning over $46k a year, you pay full price, just like now.
5. Many people have been told that it's causing small businesses to drop coverage, but there's no statistical evidence of that. In fact, the ACA gives small businesses a tax credit to help with providing insurance, unlike currently.
6. Many people have been told that it's causing larger businesses to drop handling coverage, but that's been looked at by the govt, and the percentage of businesses doing that is about 1%....the same as before the ACA. This has been a long range trend, like dropping pensions has been.
7. Stories are circulating that ins. premiums are skyrocketing. But that's not true. The premiums will actually be less once the final provisions of the ACA are instituted, when you compare similar coverages. The ACA has been in effect since 2010. Premiums have increased LESS in that time that decades before.
8. Many people have been told it has death panels that will decide when elderly people will die (that is, decide they won't get treatment). Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin, in particular, harped on this for a long time back in 2009 or so. There are no death panels (the ACA has been in effect since 2010...we'd know if a lot of grandmas were being put to death by death panels).
9. Many people have been told that you won't be able to get coverage if you have pre-existing condition, unlike now. Just the opposite is true. You can be denied ins. currently if you have a pre-existing condition, but under the ACA, you cannot be denied coverage. This has been in effect for some time, now. A lot of people have health care now because of this provision. (They pay full price for it, BTW.)
10. Many people think Obamacare gives free health ins. to the masses, namely lazy deadbeats who don't work. It doesn't. As stated above, it provides subsidies on a sliding scale for people whose income is about 400% above the poverty line, on down to where they qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid provides free care (if yu can find someone in your area who takes it). Obamacare does not.
11. Many people think Obamacare is for people who don't work. But they've been misinformed. It's not. It's mainly for what we call the working poor and anyone else who doesn't get health care through their employers.
12. There's a saying that the difference between a Republican and a Democrat is that the Democrat loses sleep worrying that someone somewhere isn't getting something he's entitled to, and the Republican loses sleep worrying that someone somewhere is getting something he isn't entitled to. The Republicans are against the govt helping anyone to get health care. It's the principle of the thing. Seriously. They believe it's worth not getting health care to millions with pre-existing conditions or hard working min. wage workers, if someone who doesn't, in the Republican point of view, work as hard as they do, also gets help with health care. They are just so against the 1% unjustly getting something, that they are willing for the 99% not to get it, too.
13. They say they are against the mandate. That anti-mandate position is against the Republican philosophy of personal responsibility. We are all part of the medical system, like it or not. I believe the reason they are against the mandate in this instance is that the ACA needs the mandate in order to function properly and not cost the govt money, and to bring down costs. No mandate....the ACA fails, is their thinking. Obama didn't want the mandate. He had to be convinced. He's a smart man, so I'm sure he was convinced of the necessity of the mandate, or he wouldn't have included it.
MAINLY, it's that it's a Democratic Party law.
Evidence: Bush passed the Medicare Part D legislation...totally unfunded (unlike the ACA), adding $1TRILLION + to the debt, at the same time sending us to expensive war(s) AND cutting taxes twice for the wealthy. Medicare Part D provides prescription coverage in Medicare to seniors AND contains a provision that the govt cannot negotiate discounted prices for the drugs (an unheard of provision). The Republicans had no problem with that legislation and passed it overwhelmingly, despite it not costing seniors anything and despite Republicans being against Medicare.