The Democrats' Fallback Plan For When Obamacare Inevitably Fails

[Valin]

Forbes:

Will Single Payer Healthcare Emerge as the Next Battleground?

Scott W. Atlas, M.D.,

11/26/12

 

With the reelection of President Obama, the Affordability Care Act known as ObamaCare will begin its implementation. The voters have ensured that ObamaCare will now move forward, even though this election was really not a referendum on the unpopular law; only five percent of voters ultimately said the ACA was the biggest factor in determining their vote for president, and the electorate, although divided, still generally opposes the law. Predictably, since the election, the president’s favorability ratings have improved, and along with that, the unpopularity of ObamaCare among Americans has diminished, with the margin of “for repeal” over “against repeal” narrowing down to single digits. Perhaps Americans are beginning to accept what seems inevitable, or maybe they are experiencing some fatigue about the political battles on this issue. Time will tell, and sooner than most voters realize, the next congressional elections and the chance to express an opinion where it counts will be upon us.

 

In the meantime, the battles over ObamaCare have not ended, particularly at the state government level. A significant number of states are led by governors who oppose the dramatic shift of authority from individuals to the federal government that is fundamental to ObamaCare. These governors understand the law’s destructive impact on health care access and quality, as well as on jobs and the economy, and instead they advocate for the individual choice and competition that come with free market reforms for America’s health care. Close to one-third of states have refused to set up health insurance exchanges; a similar number is contemplating the refusal of Medicaid expansion, another key provision of the new law. Thankfully, at least some of our elected officials understand the trade-offs between freedom and economic growth on one hand, and expansion of government authority masked as entitlements on the other.

 

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First and foremost, watch out for the reemergence of a “public option” likely marketed by Democrats as “Medicare for all”, as Democrats revive their already stated original goal of forging a single payer, wholly government-controlled system. We know that President Obama wants it. In June 2003, Obama said “I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer health care program … a single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that’s what I’d like to see.” And we know that Senator Max Baucus, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee during crafting of the ACA and its ramming through Congress by Democrats, admitted in February 2009 that “There may come a time when we can push for single-payer. At this time, it’s not going to get to first base in Congress,” a sentiment echoed by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said “For 30 years I have supported a single payer plan, but our next best choice is to support an exchange and a public option.” There is no secret about the ultimate goal of the president and leading Democrats.

 

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