The Obamacare Fun Continues

While Obamacare is causing great harm to most Americans, I still find it entertaining to a degree.  This is a classic government program in that it is doing the exact opposite of its stated intent – in this case, providing affordable health insurance.  It differs from most other government programs in that people are experiencing the pain right away and know where to place the blame.
Some health industry officials are now saying that the premiums related to Obamacare could double in some parts of the country.  The Affordable Care Act should have been called the Unaffordable Care Act.
While the dysfunctional website was getting all of the attention back in October and November, it was inevitable that bigger problems lay ahead.  Then millions of people were receiving cancellation notices from the insurance companies, completely contradicting Obama’s original claims that if you like your current plan, you can keep it.
The next major problem, and probably the biggest problem, is the massive premium increases.  This includes health insurance premiums for people who already have plans through their employer.  It isn’t just people signing up for Obamacare.
But this problem is a lot different.  It isn’t like the website that was fixable.  This problem isn’t going to go away.  People will either have to forego having health insurance or else they will see the huge premium expense each month.  In addition, for those signing up for high-deductible plans, they will also get sticker shock the first time they have some kind of a medical emergency.
To top this off, Obama said in an interview that the American people just need to prioritize when it comes to things like having a cell phone.  Aside from the fact that a monthly cell phone payment is not going to cover the cost of health insurance for most people, this statement is quite amusing from someone taking million dollar vacations on the taxpayer dime.
This is going to spell major trouble for the Democrats in the mid-term elections this November.  This is one of those rare pieces of legislation that split almost unanimously along party lines.
Generally speaking, I think most Republicans are more free market oriented than Democrats.  But this doesn’t always translate into good Republican politicians, even on domestic economic issues.  There are some who probably go to Washington DC with good intentions, but those good intentions are quickly destroyed by the lust of power.
But in the case of Obamacare, it worked out for Republicans in their opposition.  Most Republicans in DC don’t really favor the free market to a strong degree and this includes the area of medical care and insurance.  But while they don’t offer much in the way of alternatives, it is universal opposition to Obamacare by the Republicans at this point.
Politicians will say that they don’t want to run a negative campaign and that they want to present their own positive agenda.  But the reality is that negative campaigns can win elections, particularly if you strike at a fear or a hot spot of voters.  It will be easy for Republicans to campaign against Obamacare and you will be surprised how many people respond.
It is not that most voters like the Republican candidates, but some voters will be absolutely furious at the Democrats for passing Obamacare.
While the large premiums (and continuing to rise) will be really harmful to the average American, it will be the gift that keeps on giving, politically speaking, at least for the Republicans.
People get mad about a lot of things politically, but they also have short memories.  By the time the election comes around, most of it is forgotten.  But the American people will be continually reminded every month of how much a disaster Obamacare is when they have to pay for it.
The whole healthcare and insurance system was a disaster when Obama entered office.  But Obamacare has made it far worse and that is what people will blame, with the exception of a few loyal Democrats.
There will be a push for a full government takeover of the medical industry.  It may or may not work.  But right now, Obamacare is not well liked and it is only going to get worse, even with Obama arbitrarily changing the law by himself.
As I continue to say, the Republicans are not going to defeat Obamacare.  Obamacare is going to defeat Obamacare.  It is already happening.