According to the new editorial chief
of the Tulsa World newspaper, prosperous businesses refuse to hire new people
because they are uncertain about details in the
Affordable Care Act and worry about future changes. That, plus the
potential that the national debt will “wreck the U.S. economy.”
And, the editor writes, if you already
have a job and insurance, the Affordable Care Act is “costing you the
prosperity of an economy growing fast enough to make sure your children and grandchildren
have jobs and insurance too.” This, he says, is the most effective argument available
to opponents of the act.
As evidence, he cites the decision of a mushroom farmer who has 300 employees and 250 contract
workers. This farmer said his business needs another 100 people. But he won’t
expand because of “ever-present concern”
about possible rules changes in the Affordable Care Act, and the potential for
the national debt to wreck the economy.
This mushroom
farmer is used by Oklahoma’s Sen. Tom Coburn to attack the ACA and the national
debt. There was no acknowledgement by the senator or the editorialist that the
number one uncertainty in the nation is an economy devastated by a recession -- a recession triggered by Republican policies of tax cuts and deregulation long before the
ACA was anything more than a dream.
And so it
goes in the World of conservative Republicans who just last week cost the nation’s economy an
estimated $24 billion by shutting down government for 16 days. And they seem ready to do so again next January.
None So Blind
The Christian
bible contains a verse to this effect: “There is none so blind as he who will
not see.” Last week a writer for Salon magazine showed just how true that verse
can be.
Three couples
appeared on Fox News to complain about how much they are suffering because of
Obamacare. The Salon writer, who has
worked on insurance issues for a western state governor, was suspicious. So, he
spoke with each complainant by phone, and then did some research on the web.
The first
couple said they cannot expand their business because of Obamacare. But they
did not disclose on Fox that they have only four employees. Obamacare does not
affect businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
The second
couple pay $13,000 a year for insurance that excludes one of their children because
of a pre-existing condition. They complained because their carrier has advised
them it will have to make changes in their policy under Obamacare. They have
not explored any options. They hate Obamacare.
But the
reporter did explore the options. He found the couple could get a
policy on the exchange that would cost 60 percent less and would also cover
their child.
The third
couple are self-employed. They pay $10,000 for health insurance. They said their
insurance company told them their premiums will go up by 50 to 75 percent
because of Obamacare.
Again, the
reporter checked the exchange. He found a policy with equal coverage that would
cost the couple 63 percent less, not more.
Indeed, there are none so blind as
those who will not see – beyond the ranting of Ted Cruz and Fox News.
You can read
the Salon story on AlterNet at http://www.alternet.org/print/media/fox-news-coverage-obamacare-was-extremely-misleading.
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