The Affordable Care Act -- Why Republicans Are Afraid

If the Affordable Care Act were as bad as the Republicans are trying to convince you it is (even though it is their own idea), then the smart thing to do would be to get out of the way, let it be implemented, and then sit back and say "We told you so." If they get out of the way and it fails, they could ride that to political ownership of the republic for decades. 

The fact that they are willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to convince you that it won't work is all the proof required that they know it will work. Their fear is that once it is implemented, you will know it will work too. It was the same fear they had with Medicare. They tried to stop Medicare and even had Ronald Reagan do radio spots musing about the days when people would tell their grandchildren about what freedom was because Medicare (Socialized Medicine) would rob the U.S. of its freedoms. What happened? Medicare was implemented, people loved it, and now even people who are against Socialized Medicine don't want to give up the Socialized Medicine they get from Medicare.

Now the smart thing to do would have been just to remove the over sixty-five requirement for Medicare so that everyone will be covered. But then Republican claims of "Government takeover of health care" would still be hyperbolic, but somewhat accurate. Barack Obama went out of his way to include the Republicans in the planning of the Affordable Care Act, giving up his own wants and passing on his own ideas, and adopting a largely Republican plan, which would ensure that health care remain in private hands being largely paid for by private health insurance.

What the plan provides are such things as keeping children on their parents' policies until they are 26, no longer denying care for pre-existing conditions, no longer treating the condition of Female as a pre-existing condition, that the bulk of premiums must be spent on providing care and not on advertising or CEO bonuses, and so on. BUT WHAT THE PLAN ULTIMATELY DOES IS FORCE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO COMPETE IN THE MARKETPLACE -- the same sanctified marketplace about which Republicans and Capitalists are always preaching. This is basic idea behind Capitalism and marketplace economics: more competition generates better service at lower prices. 

So why would Capitalism and the marketplace work for every other item and commodity? If it will not work, then the whole of Capitalism and the marketplace are lies and the whole of our economic system is founded upon an error. But the truth is that it will work -- and it will work well. The Republicans know this and they are terrified. Why? I don't know. I don't know why they would be against millions of new customers having access to health care, insurance, and other items, that would get money flowing in an economy in which money is moving in only one direction -- to the very rich. Oh, now I see why they are against it: a few less dollars for them and their friends is not worth working class people being able to see a doctor or get a needed medical procedure for their kids. Even Adam Smith did not believe that profit for a few was more important than the basic needs of people. He subscribed at least to a concept of Noblesse oblige that current day Republicans and Capitalists do not share. 

Is the Affordable Care Act perfect? Far from it! But it is a start. There is danger to Progressives as well as to Conservatives. The ACA may work so well that there is no drive to do more, making "the start" the finish. Those of us who want Single-Payer will never get it because if the ACA works, it will keep health care within the realm of private insurance. It is the ultimate rewarding of an industry that has manipulated and abused customers for decades, dropping people from coverage when they needed it. But the difference between Progressives and Conservatives is this: Progressives know that the Affordable Care Act is ultimately against our own best interest since we believe that private health care will always be laced with unnecessarily high cost, abuses, and fraud, we believe that making sure as many people as possible have access to health care is more important than our own interests, and we are willing to sacrifice our interests for the needs of others. Conservatives just want what is best for them, and damn the needs of others. 

Progressives believe that health care is a right, and we are willing to sacrifice what we would want in order to ensure that everyone has access to that right. Conservatives and Capitalists believe that health care is a commodity, and that human beings are no more than consumers, and if they cannot afford to consume, they SHOULD die. Progressives see the right to health care as a crucial component in the right to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all of which are difficult when seriously and chronically ill, and impossible when dead. Conservatives will not be happy until they can charge you for every beat of your heart.