The
GOP reminds me of a compulsive gambler. A compulsive gambler keeps
telling himself that his losing streak is going to end with his last
bet. He doesn’t want to quit playing while he’s losing. He knows his
luck will change; he just has to hang in there until it does. It
usually doesn’t. He stops gambling only when he doesn’t have a penny
left to bet with.
The GOP is handling Obamacare just
like the compulsive gambler deals with a losing streak. The public may
not love Obamacare (mostly because they don’t know what Obamacare
is…really). But, most of the public wants to keep Obamacare and improve
it. The GOP wants to repeal it and by GOD they aren’t going to change
their minds about that.
A couple of years ago most of the
Republican lead states decided that they would not expand Medicaid to
close the gap between the state’s existing Medicaid program and the
Public Exchange. Most states cut off Medicaid below the minimum income
to qualify for the Public Exchange. The federal government committed to
pay 100% of the cost of expanding Medicaid for the first 3 years and
90% of the cost thereafter. You have to make more than 138% of the
Federal Poverty Level in order to qualify for the Public Exchange.
Everyone who earns 138% of the FPL or less will be covered by Medicaid.
Many states didn’t qualify people up to 138% of the FPL, some states
cut off Medicaid if you earn more than 25% of the FPL (about $6,000 for a
family of 4). The federal government would pay for the cost of
Medicaid for everyone whose income falls between each state’s existing
Medicaid maximum income and 138% of the FPL.
However, most
Republican lead states like my state of South Carolina, refused to
accept the additional federal funding. Consequently, about 11 million
people will not have health care coverage in those states. Many of
those people will use hospital emergency rooms when they are sick. That
cost will be in the billions and will drive up the cost of health care
for everybody.
Now you would think that the GOP would accept
the federally funded Medicaid expansion if not so that 11 million people
have adequate health care, then in order to prevent higher health care
costs. But, most of the Red States said no.
Now that Obamacare
is up and running successfully and the majority of Americans do not
want to repeal Obamacare, why are the Red States not expanding Medicaid?
Why are GOP congressmen still calling for the repeal of Obamacare?
Is this a winning strategy or will the GOP lose like the compulsive gambler?
I think they will lose if they keep resisting Obamacare but I could be
wrong. Most Americans don’t understand Obamacare, the Public Exchange
and Medicaid Expansion and refuse to learn about them. If they did
understand, I think they would disapprove of the GOP’s strategy. If
enough of them don’t do their homework and know only what the neighbor
tells them or what they hear on Fox News then the Republicans may get
away with their strategy.
What do you think most Americans will do?
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