NEW #1 Republican talking point this week: Health care "fairness"--another false equivalency

[ProgressiveEconomist]

On "This Week with Stephanopoulos" Sunday morning, John Boehner demanded health-care "fairness" as a ransom for reopening the government and not defaulting on Treasury debt.

He also lied and said there was no House majority for approving the Senate's clean continuing resolution should Boehner allow an up-or-down vote on it. Stephanopoulos pressed him repeatedly on allowing a CR vote, but Boehner responded only with "fairness" and "obstructionist Obama" talking points.

Why is Boehner's equivalence between the employer mandate and the individual mandate false?

On this weekend's "McLaughlin Group". embattled lone progressive Eleanor Clift explained the simple math absent from an avalanche of "reporting" about Boehner's ransom for re-opening government.

Clift pointed out that millions of people with pre-existing conditions who've been shut out of healthcare for years will sign up immediately. The individual mandate is designed to make covering sick people financially feasible by giving young and healthy people positive and negative incentives to sign up too. A one-year delay of the individual mandate would prevent health insurance premium revenue from surging along with outflows to care for the newly-covered sick.

Then Republicans would saturate the media in the months before the 2014 elections with one message: "Obamacare is a failure" because it has raised premiums for everybody!

See the parallel thread, "Why do Republicans want a 1-yr delay of the health insurance mandate? The simple math", at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023793902 .

IMO, this "fairness" argument is as much a false equivalence as Republicans' argument for strict "Voter ID": "You need a picture ID to board an airplane; why not also to vote?"

IMO, "Voter ID" and "Healthcare Fairness" both might sound reasonable to the dumbed-down people who watch "infotainment" and scarf up Fox propaganda. But a bit of independent thought can expose both schemes as sneaky political ruses designed to give Republicans an edge in the next election, so they can further their longstanding "revolution of the haves."

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

[LiberalEsto]

1. They want to talk "fair"? I want the health plan Congress enjoys

for every American.

[SunSeeker]

5. Exactly. That's so powerful a statement that some GOP have lied that they are exempt from the ACA.

Congress will get their healthcare through the ACA exchanges. Anyone who says otherwise--I'm looking at you, Rand Paul--is a fucking liar.

[SunSeeker]

2. Yes, and the employers getting a 1 year "exemption" (extension) are a tiny number.

The vast majority of employers did not get that extension to comply with the mandate--only the ones that fall on the 50-employee borderline, most of whom already provide coverage anyway. Small mom and pops have always been exempt from the mandate to provide employee coverage under the ACA.

Plus, the Republicans pushed for this 1 year exemption for that group, so it is hypocritical for them to now say it is unfair. They got the extension because Republicans complained that employers, particularly those who had not provided health coverage before, needed more time to get their coverage arrangements set up for their employees. The same reasoning does not apply to the individual mandate. All individuals need to do is sign up at an already established exchange.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. Excellent post. This is why I'm a DUer--to learn RELEVANT facts the "infotainment"

media never will explain, no matter how much "coverage" they provide on an issue--even an issue that easily could lead to economic catastrophe.

[srican69]

3. Its a part of a very successful pattern they have been following for many years

the formula is to package utter garbage and brand it 'Soothing Perfume' or some such thing and sell it to the tax payers

George Bush totally gutted the Clean Air Act with an initiative called 'Blue Skies' ...

[Avalux]

4. ACA passed with a majority. SC upheld it. Obama was re-elected.

3 times they lost yet refuse to accept it, and are now using extortion tactics to 'win', including continuing to brainwash Americans into believing they care about them, care about 'fairness'.

I don't think it's going to work though. There's too much damage.