Ben Harakel
Intro To Economics
Obamacare
Bill Clinton Identifies 3 Big Problems With the Obamacare Rollout
Maybe its just me but I thought that in the partisan world in which we live that people never criticize their own party. I guess that based on what Bill Clinton said the other day, I was wrong. Although Clinton didn't quite bash the bill completely, he did point out a couple of huge problems that are starting to make their way around our society. The former president said basically that Obama should go back and change his law so that people can keep their policies if they like them. What I think is really absurd is that everyone thinks that this is a really great idea. To start off that was what the bill was designed to do and so the fact that it failed could be the product of only two roots. The first being that (listen to this shocker) OBAMA WAS LYING, and he knew all along that you wouldn't be able to keep your benefits or the second which is that the law forced businesses to cancel the previous plans for financial reasons. Either way the White House is to blame for the "disaster" of a bill that we know as Obamacare and as much as I like the bipartisanship shown by Clinton I just don't think the change can be made.
It seems to me that the administration should either do one of two things:
1. Let the people lose their plans and apologize for the problems
2. Try to fix the problems as they arise
While it seems like the best option is the second one, I feel like the first is the best option. Obama's approval rating is already in the toilet and if he tries to fix all of the problems, more will definitely arise. The risk is that the wonderful health care law that he proposed will turn into a nonfunctional bill but with good intentions. I can't see a way that the government can "force" the companies to reinstate the policies that have already been discontinued. It seems totally unfair in my mind to the businesses that chose to discard the policies and make money that the government would basically tell them to put all of the individual policies back in action. Considering how long it took to get this bill up and running I can hardly imagine how long it would take to make all the changes to it.
I know that out of 50 states, only few thousands people signed up for ObamaCare. Insurance companies refuse to take back their clients because they have to provide them with the same policies as before with lower costs. If they take their clients back, they will make less money or function at a loss.
ReplyDeleteThis bill is nothing but problematic. It caused our government to shutdown, violates our right to choose and the website hasn't been anything but one big issue. Only a couple thousand Americans signed up for the program thus far which is extremely low compared to the number the government estimated who have signed up by now. Maybe it's the web problems, may the people see that this plan isn't any good. Either way I think it's good Bill Clinton said tr plans bad, maybe more people of both parties will listen.
ReplyDeleteI think that the premise that it is flawed is accurate. However you cannot put all of the blame on one person. There are many lawmakers that could have made changes and didn't. There are judges that could have struck it down. In a system of checks and balances, you cannot blame one person.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there were many problems that the bill causes, not to mention the complete and utter failure that the website had on it's launch day. We have to remember though that just because it is named after Obama doesn't mean that he was the only person who wanted it. Don't hate on the black man. Obamacare had to be approved by Congress, and it was, so don't blame Obama for proposing it, blame Congress for approving it.
ReplyDeleteThere are flaws in the bill, certainly, but to constantly hear about people treating it as if it was going to have catastrophic consequences is unfair. Obama is our president, and as such it is his job to do what he thinks is right for the country. Additionally, he cannot make any decision if it doesn't go through Congress and the House first. It took a representation of our country, our government officials, to pass the bill, and it passed. Adjustments should and could be made, of course, but the flaws in ObamaCare are not nearly as dramatic as many people make them out to be.
ReplyDeleteI think our inability to launch a functioning website sums this whole thing up pretty well. There was not enough thought behind it. The blatant lie was clearly an issue but that was kind of ignored by a large portion of our media. If three college kids can make a beautiful website in a week (true story), then the government most certainly should be able to.
ReplyDeleteThere are flaws in the Obamacare system, but I think that it can be a positive for the American people once things are smoothed out. I agree with Lem and Will that the blame can not be put on just one individual. The house and senate passed the bill along too because the people they represented wanted it passed.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, i hate that it's even called "obamacare." The health care reform has been brought up many of times in the past between the two parties; it just so happens that it came into effect when Obama took office. So far i haven't seen a huge difference in health care and i don't know much about the options we have so i can't really put my opinion into this argument.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really surprise me that much to see Bill Clinton criticizing Obama on the rollout of Obamacare. Now that Obama has been reelected to a second term, Democrats can say virtually whatever they want about the president and not risk losing a presidential election. As far as people losing their plans goes, the Obama Administration needs to keep its promises and ensure that people are able to keep their current healthcare plans.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cody; the term "Obamacare" personally makes me cringe. About the article and its contents, however, I tend to agree with everyone else. Health care reform is something that this country definitely needs in order to stay out of the medical Stone Age, but the government unveiled their plan in a very clumsy manner, and the plan itself isn't very well done. Sadly, this trend has occurred throughout President Obama's two terms. He seems to have good ideas, but, when executed, they don't seem to work out the way everyone had hoped. I think a bill with less loopholes and convoluted twists would have been better for our country.
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