Ben Harakel

Intro to Economics

Obamacare

It Gets Better

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/10/obamacare_and_republican_criticism_the_health_care_law_s_early_missteps.html

Let us assume for a moment that everything that Obama promised about the new Affordable Care Act was completely true. When the "highly anticipated" website used to purchase the healthcare launched the bashing began. Everything about the policy that was supposed to be Obama's legacy maker has been wrong from the beginning. I personally feel a little bit more justified now that all of the "cracks and inconsistencies" in the law that Republicans argued against are now resurfacing in the awful promises that Obama made to us. The major problem of the whole Affordable Care Act was that Obama made promises without considering basic economic principles. The one promise (see the other three on an earlier post) that is under the most fire right not is "You can keep current your healthcare if you like it". When the new website came online companies like Independence Blue Cross sent out messages to their current policy holders informing them that their current policies would expire. People went ballistic that they were about to lose their current policy and immediately the ludicrous messages came flowing from the Obama Administration trying to CTA (cover their a#$). Republicans on the other hand started throwing their old criticism back at the law. In the law Obamacare it clearly says that in 5 years all insurance policies had to meet government standards and if not they would be disallowed (thus disproving Obama's claim).

The economic principles behind the wonderful blunder that Obama are very clear. To start off, people respond to incentives. Why would an insurance company continue to offer more plans that necessary, especially when they might be making more money on one type of plan. The government cannot control most of what businesses do and in this case the business did what was best for it's future. I really think that Obama had some kind of delusion that the insurance companies would back him and continue to lose money instead of leaving him high and dry. It also makes me really angry that Americans supported the policy without even reading the bill. Democrats in the White House and Congress forcibly passed the bill without looking at the now evident flaws that the Republicans were voicing just because Obama wanted them to. Thousands of people will now lose their current preferred health insurance and be forced to buy insurance that may be inferior in quality all due to a blind partisan command from a liar at the helm. Still Obama keeps uttering "It will get better, trust me". I'm sure that the website will get better but I cannot see how the bill can. While I never trusted the Affordable Care Act or Obama (for that matter)  I can say now both have even less of my trust.

Ben Harakel

Intro to Economics
Obamacare

What Does The Public Think About Obamacare?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/09/16/usa-today-pew-poll-health-care-law-opposition/2817169/

The public obviously has an opinion on the new Obamacare law but most with all of the different political spins its hard to get the absolute truth. However, USA Today has the data from a new study that has provided the first hard evidence on what the American people are feeling. Starting off the articles shows that the american people are for the most part against Obamacare by a margin of 53%  to 42% . However very few actually know exactly what the law contains, only 25% of those polled said they knew the law completely. The study also showed that many people expect that the law will negatively affect them in the next year or so as well as the country as a whole. The numbers along with the study show a majority decision that indicates a dislike of Obamacare as a whole which brings us to the most important point, why is it still a law? Obviously both the democrats and republicans are to blame for the political standoff on the law and the government shutdown that has ensued but I think it is all of our faults if we sit by and do nothing about the law. If the predictions are correct  not only will it cost the government money but it will also personally cost us money.

The other thing that the data shows us is that Obamacare is starting to turn the public opinion about who would do a better job with healthcare reform. Previously the democrats had the edge but the republicans have not only made up the ground but have pulled ahead. I can't understand how not only does a major democratic bill regarding major healthcare reform stay a law even though all the data points against it. We need to first of all come to terms with what we want as a people and then we need to act accordingly.