As ObamaCare apologists scramble, this unprecedented commandeering of 1/7th of our economy lumbers on. Only central command-and-control, Democrat progressives could come up with a healthcare plan that is unworkable, yet mandatory.
Even when the uncoordinated GOP gave Democrats a chance to delay this train wreck last week, which would have bought them political cover to fix the glitches, Obama’s ego would not allow it. Arrogant and disdainful of his opponents, he is willing to attack, hurt, and be vindictive in ways not seen since Richard Nixon. He delights only in winning, no matter how flawed the cause.
Watching Democrats defend ObamaCare is like listening to your aunt justify staying in an abusive relationship. At times like this Democrats miss Anthony Weiner, who would be on TV every day spewing the DNC talking points. Now he is banished, trying to redeem himself with his charity work—which I presume is teaching the homeless to send lewd texts on their Obamaphones.
Armed with their 5% understanding of ObamaCare, Democrats soldier on. Keep in mind, their cursory knowledge of ObamaCare comes from talking-head leftists on MSNBC, so it’s not like they are just blurting stuff out.
Instead of letting ObamaCare crumble under its own inept weight, the GOP distracts the public with political theatrics during the very week the exchanges were failing. I think the same tacticians who designed the ObamaCare roll-out also form GOP political strategy.
House Speaker John Boehner cannot control all three branches of government, and he shouldn’t try. He can’t even control all three branches of the Republican Party: RINOs, Tea Partiers and Libertarians.
Government has handled the ObamaCare roll-out about like it does everything: poorly. If a company were as callous and haphazard as ObamaCare, the free market would squash it like a bug. But in government, when something does not work it gets more funding.
About a half billion dollars have been spent to create this mess – so far. Obama has advertised; he has even deputized his entertainment industry friends to sell ObamaCare. The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones push ObamaCare, perhaps with the hope that the cost of their concert tickets would be covered under Medicare.
When Americans come to his site and get stuck signing up for ObamaCare, the president should get one of his NSA spies "monitoring" everyone to pop up online and offer technical advice. Nope – that would be much too efficient for government.
It has gotten so bad that Obama angrily defended his health care plan Monday on national TV. He turned it into an infomercial for ObamaCare. He even supplied a toll-free number for folks to apply by phone, “in 150 languages.” It turned out not to work well, and callers were just referred back to the malfunctioning website.
According to health care analyst Drew Gonhorowski, in 45 out of 50 states plans offered through ObamaCare exchanges will cost more than existing plans during the first year of the law. ObamaCare can only work if young, healthy people who rarely need insurance pay to support older citizens who consume most of the healthcare dollars. For example, the rates in the government exchanges for a 27 year-old will go up 74% in Florida, 59% in Tennessee and 23% in California.
But why would young people, who can now get insurance under the magnanimous “can’t deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition” part of ObamaCare, even buy insurance? If they get sick, they just go get insurance then because they cannot be denied – and they save all those premiums.
Somehow Americans think that insurance companies will not increase prices when they have to cover a kid until he is 26 or he walks in with a pre-existing condition, like needing a heart transplant. These companies know how to do math, calculate probabilities and price products in the field they know best. That is why they have those big buildings and their stock values have soared since ObamaCare. And if Obama throws in a free pony for every kid, they will know how to price that in, too, so that we all pay for it. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Somehow liberals are shocked by such a hard economic truth: Businesses charge extra when you make them provide more. Here is another news flash for liberals: Hookers don’t like to cuddle and will charge extra if you demand it.
Ron Hart, a libertarian syndicated op-ed humorist,award-winning author and TV/radio commentator can be reached at Ron@RonaldHart.com or visit www.RonaldHart.com
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: ObamaCare Epic Failure: Next They'll Want to Do Your Knee Surgery