OBAMACARE IS DEAD SO THEREFORE SO ARE OBAMA AND LIBERALISM

 In retrospect the Republican behavior during Obama’s two terms will be considered at best bizarre and at worst outrageous. For practical purposes their only policy in his first term was to prevent Obama getting a second term and, so far, in his second term all they  have done is to keep up their efforts to prevent the introduction of Obamacare. They have filibustered a record number of times in the Senate, shut the government and about the only legislation they passed in the House of Representatives was to attempt to repeal Obamacare - over 40 times. ( Blog: Obama and the “New” Nullifying” politics, 8/3/13”). 

They have spent fortunes, (Koch Brothers 4.1 million alone) to run campaigns to persuade citizens not to obtain insurance and in those States where they have control have actively sabotaged efforts to recruit to Obamacare. By so doing they were depriving at least a million poor citizens from obtaining free Medicaid. They are going to run in the midterm elections against Obamacare and therefore Obama who is responsible for it.

In short they are obsessed with the fact that Obama is President. They would like to believe that the period from 2008 to 2016 was an aberration in the Republic’s history and they believe that the record will reflect that. Their official reason for this behavior is that Obamacare equals Obama and Obama equals radical liberalism. The psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists as well as the historians will have a field day reflecting on the crude behavior of all the Republicans both officially and personally towards Obama. As the Reverend Al Sharpton opined, he never supported George Bush but he would not dream of refusing an invitation to go to the White House out of respect for the Presidency.

OBAMACARE DEAD? ( The Affordable Health Care Act).

In order to develop the Republican narrative one has first to declare Obamacare dead. (Blog: "Obama a Lying, Disgraced President - Why?", 11/21/13).  This has been done ad nauseam. It has been called a “train wreck” in  a feature on the editorial page of the Chicago Tribune.  Patrick Buchanan declared that Obama and Obamacare was the “Biggest Loser” of  2013” on the McClaughlan show. Charles Krauthammer calls it the “The Story of the Year” with fraud and calamity after calamity. Krauthammer believes it shows how “radical” Obama is - all in tune with the narrative of Obamacare = Obama = radical liberalism. Of course the legislators and the unelected megalomaniacs and their unelected institutions have had a field day and it is not going to stop.  

So Obamacare has been thrashed to death metaphorically but is far from dead in reality. The fact that, among the advantages, no-one can lose their insurance because of pre- existing conditions and are receiving free preventive care, and more than 15,000 patients are being recruited every day to add to those already recruited - 800,000 Medicaid and 1,000,000 on insurance plans,  means that it will not go away as citizens need insurance. 

Now Obama has admitted that his biggest “mistake” of 2013 was the roll out of the plan and the continuing issues that have plagued it. He has accepted responsibility. So how much more mileage can the Republicans get out of it?

Jay H. Ell will remain one of the lone voices that believes that the positives of this initiative will far outweigh its disastrous start and the Republicans, notwithstanding all the money they have spent smearing it in day to day adverts, will lose far more on this issue than they might gain. 

OBAMA  DEAD?

As the overall objective is to declare Obama dead, so that he will be barely a footnote in the history books, the assumption is that all he has done is “Obamacare”.  But Obama was elected in the midst of The Great Recession and at very least has put this country back onto the pathway to financial stability. His move to bail out the auto industry proved a tremendous success. In the past 45 months 8 million new jobs have been created, the current unemployment is round 7% the lowest since the Great Recession, the Stock Market has grown nearly 200%, there is a fairer tax code and health care costs have increased by their slowest amount for the past 50 years. Obama states that this is as a result of certain provisions in the Affordable Care Act and the Republicans haven’t argued about that fact.

In addition Obama has taken the lead on hot button issues that will be on the right side of history. These include immigration reform, LBGT rights, women’s rights and increasing their number in highly placed appointments, judicial reform and raising the minimum wage. Whether or not all these become legislatively enshrined in his term he will be credited for getting the discussion going. Where possible he has used his executive powers to effect some change, specifically in the areas of gun control and inequitable judicial sentencing.

Most significantly Obama broke the ghetto ceiling by becoming the first African American President elected and reelected by American citizenry. He did this on his own merit by inspiring a nation and utilizing innovative organizational skills. The fact that he has had his problems, some of his own making and others by the determined Republicans, will not detract from this achievement. 

His election inspired the world from the word go where he was given the Nobel Peace Prize as a symbolic gesture to what he had achieved. His very presence still inspires the world as witnessed at the Mandela funeral where he received the loudest ovation. As the Gershwins wrote and Sinatra sung, “No, No, They Can’t Take That Away From Me”.

So Obama and his heritage is alive with or without Obamacare. The richness of his ultimate legacy is still to be determined. 

LIBERALISM DEAD?

Of all the ironies - to hold up the Capitalist Affordable Health Care Act, emanating from Joe De Mint’s Heritage Foundation and first put into effect by Romney in Massachusetts, Romneycare, and then to argue that if this market based initiative fails that is the end of Obama’s radical liberalism, is the height of cynicism! Although Obama may have had liberal motives for universal health care the method used here is pure capitalism. However this is a very serious argument of many commentators in addition to being the belief of all the wings of the Republican Party.

Firstly, Jay H. Ell better define what the terms “liberalism" means as well as free market capitalism in America. In practical terms liberalism means that the Government would be a fairer, better and more efficient in the management of an activity than free market capitalism. Free market capitalism would mean that the market is the ultimate arbiter of priorities and what services or goods are needed and what they should cost. The market will decide in terms of competition, supply and demand. Now remember the subject under debate is health care not fridges or electrical services.  

CURRENT HEALTH CARE FREE MARKET MODEL

America spends more of it’s gross domestic product on health care than any other first world country in the world, 16% or one in very six dollars. American medicine, although is utilizes a mixed economic formula for health care funding, is dominated by the free market model. The free market model has produced inequities including the fact that 40 million are uninsured and this is what Obamacare addresses. The free market also decided that those who had certain illness could not be insured.This certainly makes sense on a capitalist model. There was much competition in this lucrative market and several insurance companies were involved. They built massive infrastructures to manage this lucrative activity and soon 30 cents in every dollar was spent in administrative costs. This was far higher, mostly double, than all the other comparative countries who adapted the “liberal” single payor model. One would expect that the free market system would at least produce better outcomes. However, the result is just the opposite. In health care indicators the USA is about 15th to 20th in the world in areas such as longevity and neonatal mortality.

So it is fair to say that Obamacare, while it is an attempt to at least enforce care for all American citizens, it is not “liberalism”. Obama would have done far better to go for a single payor system that has proven for more efficient than relying on the free market system. Medicare the Government run system is far more efficient than the free market in the United States.

Jay H. Ell in another blog will more fully outline the chaos that the free market system has produced in health care in America in addition to the 40 million uninsured. This includes the imbalance of the types of doctors available, the emphasis on services provided that are more lucrative and  the ludicrously high cost of health care in USA. 

The US has only 30% of its doctors as primary care doctors as these are the lowest paid. This compares to the 55% of Canada and the 70% of the UK. CEO’s of even not for profit hospitals earn 7 figure salaries. Local hospitals abandon non lucrative services. In an area known to Jay H. Ell there are no obstetric services for a radius of 35 miles serving a large population. If anyone believes that malpractice does not drive up the costs drastically they have not practiced anywhere else in the world, including Canada.

CONCLUSION:

So the Freemarket System for Healthcare has failed. If allowed to continue it will break down healthcare completely as it is understood. Obamacare is not a liberal alternative but it will at least have the humane benefit of ultimately allowing all people Health Care. There are features in the Affordable Health Care Act that address some of these issues.

Pertinent to this topic Obamacare is alive and kicking, albeit a bit haphazardly for the moment, Obama and the symbolism of his election alone will ensure his legacy and in the unlikely event of the failure of Obamacare it will not be the death of liberalism in health care. It might in fact spur it on.

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