Gary L. Bauer
VISIT AMERICAN VALUES
Yesterday President Obama strutted into the Rose Garden and gave a victory speech celebrating Obamacare. His rhetoric was so over-the-top, for a moment I thought he might actually do a victory dance.
The president claimed: "7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through these marketplaces -- 7.1." That is an intentionally misleading statement.
To reach that figure, the president is counting people who merely selected a plan. They haven't actually paid yet. That's like Walmart counting sales based on the number of shoppers still wandering around the store.
The New York Times recently reported that at least 20% of enrollees are not paying their first month's premiums. The actual number of paying enrollees is probably closer to 5.5 million.
Moreover, Obama is implying that none of those 7.1 million people had health insurance before and have it now thanks to Obamacare. To underscore that claim, he rhetorically asked of Obamacare's critics, "Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance?"
But we know that nearly 5 million Americans had insurance before and Obamacare took it away from them! Claiming that as "progress" is like the guy who kills his parents and asks the judge for mercy because he's an orphan.
As we reported yesterday, there are serious questions about the number of previously uninsured Americans now covered because of Obamacare.
Obama claimed that his health care reform law was holding costs down. But premiums are skyrocketing more now than they did before Obamacare was passed, and some experts predict rates may double or triple next year.
Obama also said this: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay." For all the reasons I just outlined and many more, this debate is far from over.
Finally, and I mention this in the context of Obama's repeated lectures about empathy: There was not one word yesterday of apology or solace for the millions of Americans whose lives were disrupted by taking away coverage they already had and doctors they liked just so he could force through a big government takeover of major segments of our economy.
The president claimed: "7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through these marketplaces -- 7.1." That is an intentionally misleading statement.
To reach that figure, the president is counting people who merely selected a plan. They haven't actually paid yet. That's like Walmart counting sales based on the number of shoppers still wandering around the store.
The New York Times recently reported that at least 20% of enrollees are not paying their first month's premiums. The actual number of paying enrollees is probably closer to 5.5 million.
Moreover, Obama is implying that none of those 7.1 million people had health insurance before and have it now thanks to Obamacare. To underscore that claim, he rhetorically asked of Obamacare's critics, "Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance?"
But we know that nearly 5 million Americans had insurance before and Obamacare took it away from them! Claiming that as "progress" is like the guy who kills his parents and asks the judge for mercy because he's an orphan.
As we reported yesterday, there are serious questions about the number of previously uninsured Americans now covered because of Obamacare.
Obama claimed that his health care reform law was holding costs down. But premiums are skyrocketing more now than they did before Obamacare was passed, and some experts predict rates may double or triple next year.
Obama also said this: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay." For all the reasons I just outlined and many more, this debate is far from over.
Finally, and I mention this in the context of Obama's repeated lectures about empathy: There was not one word yesterday of apology or solace for the millions of Americans whose lives were disrupted by taking away coverage they already had and doctors they liked just so he could force through a big government takeover of major segments of our economy.
Media Whitewashing Ukrainian History, Again
For decades, liberal American journalists were soft on the Soviet Union. They are doing it again when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine. You can read more in my latest opinion piece at The Weekly Standard's website.
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