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And so should you!
When our president
passed the Affordable Care Act, Republicans claimed it was not the correct
solution to the healthcare problem. Republican leaders also want you to believe
that if they were in control, they would offer a solution. But they have had
control of the House since 2010 and have not yet offered anything to the
American people. Instead of proposing any substantive alternatives of their
own, they have focused solely on repealing “Obamacare”. But how is this a
policy?
Even when they had a
unified government during the last Bush administration – with control of the
House, the Senate, and the Presidency – they were still unable to come up with any
real solution (instead they decided to focus on depleting our nation’s surplus
by forging two wars and passing tax-cuts for the wealthiest Americans). The
only time they offered something substantive to the healthcare debate was in
the 1990s, when they proposed the individual mandate.
So, as a truly
bipartisan leader, Obama decided to put the Republican’s sole contribution to
the healthcare debate into his healthcare law in 2009, when the Democrats had a
unified government. In other words, when Democrats controlled the House, the
Senate, and the Presidency, Obama still chose to reach across the political
isle (something that angered some in his own base) in the spirit of compromise.
He didn’t have to. But Obama wanted to elevate politics to a level he promised
in his 2008 campaign, and he did so in the most moderate and transparent way
possible.
But instead of appreciating
the president’s efforts, the Republican leadership chose obstruction. They have
not only used the Senate filibuster more than twice as much as ever in the history
of the Senate, but they have said numerous times that their sole priority is to
defeat Obama. They have been unwilling to come up with any real solutions of
their own, with the exception of saying “No” to everything our president has
proposed.
Even now, after the
Supreme Court upheld the only solution to fixing our nation’s broken healthcare
system, the Republicans’ only alternative solution: repeal Obamacare.
They continue to spend
every day of President Obama’s administration to try and distort the facts. They
claim that Obamacare would raise taxes, increase the size of government,
increase our deficit, put granny on a death panel, hurt business owners, hurt
doctors, and hurt insurance companies. But it is critical for the health and
safety of our nation that we sort through fact from fiction. Here are just a
few facts. If you don’t believe me, let me know WHY:
The Individual Mandate is NOT a tax. It is only a penalty for those who do not
take the personal responsibility of buying health insurance. The idea, proposed
by Republicans, ensures that no one gets a free handout and that the rest of us
taxpayers need not bailout or pay for someone else’s healthcare. In fact,
because of Obamacare, nearly 13 million Americans will receive a rebate check
that comes from a provision of the law that punishes insurers who spend too
much of policyholders' premiums for boosting company profits instead of paying
for their medical care.
Obamacare does NOT run up our country’s
deficits. According the
non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare reduces deficits by $210
billion.
Obamacare is NOT a government-run program. All it does is stay true to capitalistic principles
of the free market and prohibit insurance companies from maintaining monopolies
on your insurance policy. The reason that we needed the federal government to
get involved in the first place is because before Obamacare, most states had no
solutions of their own (with the exception of Romneycare). There were millions
without coverage, and millions more who were forced into bankruptcy when they
got sick and couldn’t afford healthcare
Obamacare IS about the economy and jobs. If a large chunk of your paycheck goes to
paying for rising healthcare premiums that you cannot afford, you don’t have
much money left over to help businesses grow. Furthermore, if you are sick and
are forced into bankruptcy, you are no longer self-sufficient. Instead, you are
forced to rely on free handouts. In doing so, you cost the average taxpayer
$1000 in increased premiums due to your visits to the ER. In doing so, you
become a drag to the economy.
Obamacare IS a moral issue. In our nation’s history, we have always
benefited from expanding rights to a group of people who have otherwise been
denied those privileges. Think about the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Although
it may have been seen as a distraction from “jobs, jobs, jobs”, we knew that it
was the right course of action for our country. In the same way, I don’t see
how it is okay for people to go bankrupt if they cannot afford healthcare. I don’t
understand how it is okay to deny people coverage for a pre-existing condition.
Morally, it is not right.
Don’t let others
distort the facts. Click here for more information and let me know what you
think: http://www.barackobama.com/health-care?source=socnet_20120628_BO_FB_HEALTH_CARE_TOOL_SIGNON&utm_medium=fb&utm_source=bo_fb&utm_campaign=socnet_20120628_BO_FB_HEALTH_CARE_TOOL_SIGNON
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