What's a simple explanation to counter the, 'Obamacare wipes out existing healthcare' propaganda?

[Sugarcoated]

It's goin around FB, and I usually ignore this crap from RW people, but I jumped into this one. I did google, I did some reading, but I'm not getting to the bottom line on this canard.

[Mass]

1. Some employers decided it was cheaper to drop people from their healthcare and

push them on the exchanges. These exchanges do not necessarily allow access to the same doctors and hospitals than what people had before. Nothing different from what you get when you change insurance, but it is true.

This said, this is not Obamacare which is responsible. It is employers!

[ehrnst]

6. A lot of people will get a better deal on the exchanges than they do from stingy employers. (nt)

[Pretzel_Warrior]

2. A simple "that's a Republican lie" would suffice

[Sugarcoated]

5. I basically said just that

but, call me crazy, I like to back up what I say with facts and a link

[AgingAmerican]

3. I just explain that the only real changes are to what insurers can do to us

The law stops insurers from ripping us off and denying care. That's what I stick with.

[ehrnst]

4. It's all still private insurance - the only "Goverment Healthcare" is in the military

You know - like Hawkeye Pierce, who protrayed army doctors, employed by the government, working in government buildings. That's the only 'government healthcare,' there is and no, it's still not going to be available outside the military.

Obamacare simply gives more people the opportunity to get a group rate for an insurance policy from a private company.

Federal employees get a choice of private insurance policies at group rates - and private insurance companies compete to get into that list, and rates are negotiated by the goverment.

Now this will happen on the state level - people who don't get healthcare through their employer (self-employed, part time employees, employees of businesses with under 50 employees) will be able to get a group rate through their state exchange, via a choice of PRIVATE insurance companies. If you have a low enough income, but don't qualify for medicaid, you can get a subsidy (help with payment).

In order for insurance companies to offer coverage for pre-existing conditions, there must be enough healthy people paying in - hence group rates are cheaper than individual insurance or small groups of people - hence the mandate to get insurance. As Mitt Romney said:


“But once we put in place the reforms I am describing, with new affordable products as well as a subsidized product, where your premium can be as low as $2.30 a week, now everybody can get insurance,” said Romney. “And that’s basically what this slide says. And that is, look, now that we have these products available for you, we want everybody to get insurance and you have responsibility of having insurance, and we are going to mandate that you have insurance. - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/romney-romneycare-first-subsidize-then-mandate#sthash.FqruIP5l.dpuf

[Sugarcoated]

7. Thanks for the timely responses!

I posted a link to Politifact busting Obamacare myths. I'm sure it may be accused of being a libruuul Media source, but it's not.