BY SHARON MARTIN
Why are so many so-called conservatives trying to sabotage ObamaCare?
They’ve wasted money on useless repeal votes, legal challenges, and distortion campaigns. Voters have been lied to and manipulated. Governors and attorneys general have done everything possible to stall reform at the state level. Congress has refused to fund reform, even after the Supreme Court upheld constitutionality.
Why?
To protect insurance company profits? Even insurance companies and healthcare providers will benefit from a broader insured base.
To see that Obama fails? That seems the most likely reason. Citizens are just collateral damage.
Health Insurance Exchanges, online markets for federally subsidized private insurance, begin enrollment on Oct. 1. For the exchanges to work, states need to implement them and people need to know about them.
Because Congress isn’t willing to provide appropriate funding, the Department of Health and Human Services has had to ask for private donations from stakeholders to inform citizens about the exchanges.
What happens if people don’t enroll? Fewer people in the system drive up the cost for insurance companies and individuals. That will make it appear that reforms don’t work.
Everyone – young and old, healthy and sick – needs to be insured for reform to be successful.
With so many Republicans doing everything possible to keep reform from happening, the only conclusion is that they want it to fail.
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah isn’t happy that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius is asking for private donations to fund the outreach that Congress refuses to fund.
“Moving forward,” he said, “I will be seeking information from the administration about these actions to help better understand whether there are conflicts of interest … ”
Conflicts of interest? You bet there are, but it isn’t with Sibelius asking for money to advertise the exchanges. The conflicts of interest are with legislators who are more concerned with maintaining power than in seeing that constituents have access to healthcare.
You know that Nigerian “prince,” the one who’ll share his millions with you if you’ll just share your social security and bank account numbers? He’s a con.
You know those politicians, the ones who will lie and obstruct justice for their own political ends? They are cons, too.
Are you uninsured? Underinsured? Well, it’s time to strike back against these political con artists. Refuse to vote for anyone who makes health insurance harder to come by. Get out and campaign against politicians more concerned with political power than with the health and wellbeing of constituents.
We don’t need leaders who hurt the people they swear to serve.
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer
