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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

OK, you win; what next?

Yep:

 

If the Supreme Court chucks ObamaCare entirely, which looks increasingly likely, Republicans will finally have a chance to redefine the debate. But only if they get educated and put together reform ideas now.

If the court rejects ObamaCare, Democratic strategist James Carville said this week, "then the Republican Party will own the health care system for the foreseeable future." He meant it as a warning; in fact, it's a historic opportunity.

For too long, Democrats have defined the health care issue, depicting the U.S. system as an unfettered market where costs run wild, insurers rip off consumers and deny coverage to tens of millions, and big-government "reforms" are desperately needed. None of it is true.

It's easy be against something, especially an abomination like Obamacare. It's a little more work to present a credible alternative. As the editorial notes, many of the flaws in the health care system have been exaggerated or misstated, so the Republicans' first job would be to present a cogent descriptuion of the situation as it really exists.

Comments

littlejohn
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 9:25am

If Obamacare gets tossed by a partisan Supreme Court, as appears likely, Republicans will be in the awkward position of explaining to their constituents why they now can be rejected by insurance companies for pre-existing conditions, can lose their coverage the minute a serious illness is diagnosed, and must drop their 25-year-old children from their policies.

If they attempt to retain those reforms, they will have to explain how they intend to pay for them. My guess is they'll offer to pay for them by "cutting fraud and waste." Every politician promises to cut fraud and waste, and nothing ever comes of it. Repubs will simply pay for the popular reforms by increasing the deficit. Whatever you think of Obamacare, it at least proposed to pay for itself by compelling healthy young people to buy insurance, which would lower its cost to everyone.

As for unconstitutionality, I wonder if such a finding will end the compulsion for all of us to pay into Social Security and Medicare? Will state laws forcing drivers to buy insurance stand a court challenge? Repulicans, including the five on the high court, may be risking a serious backlash.

john b. kalb
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:26am

Hey "Small Place.....", help us out:  Just where do you get the information you spout?

-Pre-existing conditions eliminate any "insurance coverage" - you can't call it health insurance when the so-called "insured" is already SICK!!!!

-How can you back up the statement of "losing coverage the minute a serious illness is diagnosed"?  That's BS in all but a very, very few cases, and you know it!

-What "popular reforms" are you talking about? - the two listed above are NOT reforms but are a reformulation!

-Many of us consider Social Security to be unlawful!

 -And how can you equate "driving a car" to "living a life"?  You don't have to drive a car but , unless you are a member of the Hemlock Society, you have no choice as to living.

-And, just what kind of "backlash" can occur to a life-time -appointed justice?

littlejohn
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 2:09pm

Mr.  Kalb (you'll notice I refrain from calling you any fiendishly clever names), you're correct that I shouldn't have included the justices among those who may face serious backlash. We simply don't impeach our SC justices, no matter how much they might deserve it. I should have left it at "Republicans."

Second, don't tell me what I know.

Third, poll after poll has shown that when citizens are asked if they're for "Obamacare," two-thirds say "No." However, when asked if they favor preventing insurance companies from barring people based on pre-existing conditions, or favor allowing older children to stay on their parents' policies, or oppose allowing insurance companies from dropping people with expensive diseases, even Republicans favor Obama's position. In other words, the people who oppose Obamacare don't know anything aboout it.

If you think Social Security is illegal, then you belong to a tiny group of crackpots, along the lines of the Flat Earth Society. Good luck with that.

bryanjbrown
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 9:31pm

Littlejohn, I have a wonderful plan to cut fraud and waste.  Vote Republican.  We will send the number one source of fraud back to Chicago and bring an end to a socialist path to national waste (as in ruin).  

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