Republicans Hide Health Care Law Benefits From Their Constituents

[ProSense]

Republicans Hide Health Care Law Benefits From Their Constituents

Brian Beutler

Two days after a Republican Florida federal court judge voided the entire health care law, the multi-front Republican war against it continues in the Senate, where members will vote today on whether or not to just repeal it, full stop.

Simultaneously, Republican members are trying to sneak grenades into the heart of the law, crafting modifications which they admit are meant to destroy it.

But that presents them with a conundrum when they head back to their states and districts and face constituents who stand to benefit from the law right now -- seniors who are entitled to free checkups, and young adults, who can now stay on their parents' insurance until they turn 26, for example. Republicans can chose to help those constituents navigate the law -- answer their questions constructively, encourage them to seek those benefits -- or they can let their political agendas interfere.

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The fact that many of the constituents of the law's opponents have already benefited from the reform hasn't gone unnoticed by the law's supporters. "(Mitch) McConnell should go door to door in Kentucky and tell thousands of seniors to cough up the $250 donut-hole checks they received from the new health care law to buy their prescription drugs," said Ethan Rome, executive director of Health Care for America Now, in a statement.

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Awaiting Health Law’s Prognosis

By REED ABELSON

With a court decision on Monday declaring the health care law unconstitutional and Republicans intent on repealing at least parts of it, thousands of Americans with major illnesses are facing the renewed prospect of losing their health insurance coverage.

The legislation put an end to lifetime limits on coverage for the first time, erasing the financial burdens, including personal bankruptcy, that had affected many ailing Americans.

For example, Hillary St. Pierre, a 28-year-old former registered nurse who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had expected to reach her insurance plan’s $2 million limit this year. Under the new law, the cap was eliminated when the policy she gets through her husband’s employer was renewed this year.

Ms. St. Pierre, who has already come close once before to losing her coverage because she had reached the plan’s maximum, says she does not know what she will do if the cap is reinstated. “I will be forced to stop treatment or to alter my treatment,” Ms. St. Pierre, who lives in Charlestown, N.H., with her husband and son, said in an e-mail. “I will find a way to continue and survive, but who is going to pay?”

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[Kdillard]

1. Of course they are hiding it. They are only good at spreading lies and propaganda.

[patrice]

2. We are fighting them here:

This is a nice condensed resource, with point-by-point answers & refutation:

http://reformreality.org/

[ProSense]

3. Kaiser: 62 percent oppose defunding health care

Expand or keep the law: 47% (expand 28%)
Replace and repeal 43 law: (repeal 20%)

Kaiser

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The share of Americans with unfavorable views of the health reform law rose to 50 percent this month, up from 41 percent in December, while the share holding favorable views remained largely unchanged at 41 percent. Increasing opposition among independents drove much of the change. Fifty-seven percent of independents had an unfavorable view of the law in January, up sharply from 41 percent in December, suggesting that GOP messages about the need to repeal the law resonated with independents during this time period.

The public also is divided on what should happen next. About as many people want to expand the law or keep it as it is (28% and 19%, respectively) as want to repeal and replace the law or simply just repeal it (23% and 20%). Now that the repeal vote in the House is over, Republicans are expected to turn to efforts to defund and slow down implementation of the law through the appropriations process and other means. Yet the survey finds that most Americans (62%) disapprove of such a strategy. Most Republicans (57%) favor defunding health reform in the absence of repeal, but most independents are opposed (62%) along with a large majority Democrats (84%). Even among those who don’t like the law and want to see it repealed, about four in ten say they disapprove of cutting off funding.

"The public is frustrated with politics as usual, and may be saying that defunding a law is not how government should work," said Mollyann Brodie, senior vice president and director of the Foundation’s Public Opinion and Survey Research group.



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[jenmito]

4. Today, Graham and Barasso were back to the same old line, "Let's start over with a blank piece of

paper..." I can't believe that after all of the Repub. talk about how the Dems. aren't "listening to the American people" by dealing with health care instead of jobs, they spend the majority of their time trying to scrap the health care law. And then they want to spend time starting over??? They should be called on this hypocrisy every day by the Dems.!

[Badfish]

5. Saw that.

Graham was complaing it was sneaked through before Christmas WITH a majority.

[jenmito]

6. Yup...

same ol' talking points are back: "...in the dead of night..." "It was shoved down the people's throats..." "...behind closed doors..." Do they really think the American people want them to waste their time trying to repeal a law rather than trying to create jobs?

[Dawson Leery]

7. In a few years, the Rethugs will take credit for the benefits of this law.