One of the most unforgivable failures of the Republican congressional majority is their inability and/or outright refusal to completely repeal Obamacare.
And while getting rid of the law’s individual mandate as part of the recently-passed (and very excellent) tax cuts and reform measure was a good thing, it wasn’t nearly enough.
In fact, as reported by The Blaze, Obamacare has become such a monumental failure that nearly half of Americans have stopped going to their doctors even when they’re sick because they can’t afford to.
The site noted:
When the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, its supporters celebrated the legislation, calling it a landmark bill that would make Americans healthier and lower health care costs for families. Eight years later, it’s clearer than ever the ACA’s “Obamacare” exchanges have done quite the opposite. Not only are health care costs skyrocketing, the health insurance provided by Obamacare is so expensive for people to use that millions more Americans are now choosing not to go to the doctor — even when they’re sick or injured.
A recently-released survey from the West Health Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago found that 47 percent of respondents said over the past 12 months they elected not to see a doctor or dentist because they could not afford it. Meanwhile, about 40 percent — four-in-10 — chose not to get a recommended medical treatment or test.
A recommended test or procedure.
Worse, 44 percent said they avoided seeing a doctor even when they were sick, while 29 percent responded that the chose not to see a doctor when sick “more than once.” And 40 percent said they are “extremely/very afraid” of getting “seriously ill” because of astronomical health care costs.
The survey included only respondents who said they are insured; some two-thirds said they had private health insurance, while 27 percent said they were covered by Medicare. Just seven percent said they were enrolled in Medicaid.
Meanwhile, members of Congress and their staffs continue to have their healthcare needs and those of family members subsidized by taxpayers. In fact, President Obama — the law’s namesake — made sure to grant lawmakers and their staffs an exemption that remains in place today.
This wasn’t supposed to happen, remember? (Related: Obamacare to unleash crushing new taxes, trillions in debt, huge job losses, and it doesn't even cover natural medicine.)
In 2009 and 2010 before Democrats used a “tricky, little-known maneuver” to pass Obamacare without a single Republican vote, Americans were told about all the wonderful things the law would do, and all of them pertained to its [misnamed] title, the Affordable Care Act:
— Americans were told insurance premiums would go down, and they have — for those on the Obamacare exchanges. These lower-income Americans get coverage at a fraction of what everyone else pays. Insurance premiums for self-insured and company-insured workers have gone through the roof, now amounting to more than a grand a month for many plans.
— The added expense doesn’t just come from higher premiums. These absurdly expensive plans are accompanied by absurdly high deductibles, often between $5,000-$10,000 per year.
Obama and Democrats promised lower monthly premiums by about “$2,500 a year.” They promised healthcare prices would fall; they haven’t. They also promised that deductibles would be reduced; they haven’t been.
Americans were lied to early and often about Obamacare, and now, because the law remains largely intact, healthcare and insurance markets have been so wildly skewed that the American health system has essentially been transformed into one that primarily serves well-to-do and wealthy Americans.
President Donald J. Trump promised to repeal and replace Obamacare; he still wants to.
The Republican congressional majorities made the same promise, but they’ve failed — twice — to pass a full repeal.
Meanwhile, ordinary Americans by the tens of millions can’t afford to seek the same kind of care Congress enjoys, compliments of the taxpayer.
Read more stories on modern medicine at Medicine.news.
J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.
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