Obamacare: Explain it like I'm five

[Scuba]

[DetlefK]

1. Ted Cruz: Obamacare is terrible and the people won't want to give it up.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/27/sen-cruz-defund-obamacare-americans-become-addicte/

[IronLionZion]

6. Like Social Security and Medicare

Once everybody pays and benefits, too many people will be invested in seeing it succeed and it can become the political third rail that Republicans can't dismantle.

[JHB]

15. Or worse (to them), provide a positive example of active government

That might provide justification to raise taxes, especially at the top, to ensure it's funded and keeps working.

[bvar22]

19. But UNLIKE Social Security & Medicare,

..about 15% (really more) of OUR money goes into the pockets of Private For Profit Corporations. That is 15% Off the Top that does NOT go toward Health Care for Americans, but instead goes to an Industry that:

*Manufactures NOTHING

*Provides NO Useful Service

*Creates NO Value Added Wealth

*Keeps no inventory


A Great Scam, if you can get the government to guarantee your "customers".

[HughBeaumont]

2. Gee, wonder what could SOLVE this problem .. . . hmmmmmmm .....

[beerandjesus]

3. Awesome comic

And that Obama pic couldn't have been better chosen! Hahaha

[think_critically]

4. it bothers the living shit out of me

Your point is so well taken. Why the FUCK can he not do this. Baffles the mind. He needs a new communications team NOW.
He managed to bitch slap Mitt Romney during the campaign but can't campaign for his own bills. WTF. People don't like Obamacare b/c they don't understand it. You have to really pay attention to politics to even get it in the first place. There is a lot of good stuff in that bill and nobody would know it unless you really study it. Damnit this pisses me off so much.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Misses the part where they can charge whatever the hell they want for those pre-exisiting condition

premiums.
Edit: overall though, it captures the scenario pretty well.

[subterranean]

7. Not under Obamacare.

They are prohibited from charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions.

[Cryptoad]

8. What a load of crap!

Somebody has not even looked at the ACA exchange rates rates! Must be a GOP cartoon!

[bhikkhu]

11. I have

My family will be 100% covered for the next couple of years (while the kids are here), then after that the premiums go to $100-150 a month for my income group. I can afford that, and will be very happy to.

[Cryptoad]

12. I was referring to

the cartoon's inference that people who have no money will still have to pay 5%....... no so
People that poor do not pay anything!

[yurbud]

9. this is unintentionally a good argument for taking for profit insurance out of the loop altogether

if the government is going to structure it and pay for a lot of it, they might as well cut out the parasitic middle man.

[grantcart]

13. I doubt that the Chief Justice would have voted that was constitutional.

So as a positive first step we limit the medical loss ratio (the insurers margin) to 20% and start lobbying to ad public option.

When public option becomes the overwhelming choice then we switch to single payer.

[merrily]

14. The Chief Justice voted that government can force us to buy from private companies, as long

as government is willing to be seen as imposing a new tax (and, in this case, a rather large tax that is not a progressive tax--meaning progressive in the older sense of hitting high income taxpayers harder than lower income taxpayers) .

It was the most conservative possible decision, yet hailed by many on the alleged left as Roberts being liberal.

That's what comes from seeing everything as blue team vs. red team.

[grantcart]

16. 100% incorrect

What was decided was that the Federal Government has a constitutional right to pass legislation that regulates the health care industry.

That you focus on the mandate but are apparently unaware that health care plans are now subject to price and profit regulations reveals a rather significant lack of understanding of the scope of the Affordable Care Act.

As to the draconian new tax you refer to is a whopping $ 95 or 1 %.

https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-someone-doesnt-have-health-coverage-in-2014/

Those that have lower incomes will be eligible for subsidies. If you want higher subsidies and public options then vote for a more liberal congress.

You are also incorrect as to 'forcing to buy from private companies' as the health care exchanges will have non profit providers as well:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/best-health-care-brands-are-nonprofit_n_1910733.html

As to the question of 'adding a new tax', this right wing meme is also incorrect. Currently hospitals are required to cover indigent care but allowed to ramp up their expenses to cover it. That is in fact a hidden tax. They will no longer be able to do so. As a result the hidden tax in inflated hospital fees will now be offset by more people joining and drastically reducing indigent care.

But back to the initial point. The President crafted legislation that would not only pass Congress and the Senate but pass the Supreme Court. Presidents since Teddy Roosevelt have been talking about this but now for the first time in 80 years it has passed. Except for England where universal care came after the war when their medical system was decimated and needed to be rebuilt, other developed countries, like Canada started on the road to Universal Single Payer Care with small steps. In Canada it started with a hospital only plan in one province. That expanded in scope and then in provinces. It took 14 years to reach universal single payer status. Our first step, by comparison, was a much bolder step. Future steps will be determined by how we control the House of Representatives, not who the President is.

[merrily]

18. You are mistaken. The opinion was not limited to the health care industry.

Besides which, the individual mandate is not a regulation of the health care industry. Or even of the health insurance industry. It is a regulation of what, well, an individual must purchase.

[bvar22]

20. THat is the only RIGHT enshrined in the ACA:

The RIGHT of the Health Insurance Industry to make a PROFIT shall not be infringed.

[IdaBriggs]

10. Stealing! Thank you!

Kick & Rec.

[hedgehog]

17. I think this captures Obama's state of mind exactly!

[LaPera]

21. Fucking republicans ignore the fact that......

Congress passed The Affordable Heath Care Act (Obamacare) the Senate passed Obamacare, the President signed Obamacare into law - The US Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare is Constitutional and is law.

Tens & tens of millions of people want & need Obamacare and will finally have some healthcare, especially self-employed working people, people with per-existing conditions and working people who can not afford the insurance corporations extremely high premiums for minimal coverage.

The compassion-less republicans are spending hundreds of millions of dollars purposely distorting and smearing Obamacare - Tens of million of American citizens, both white and people of color will benefit from Obamacare.

But then the republicans fought 'tooth and nail' against both Social Security and Medicare from the very beginning and still to this day want to get rid of both SS & Medicare - Even though both programs are paid for.....weekly by working people through their paychecks and BOTH Republicans and Democrats alike use SS & Medicare to exist.

Which makes them very successful government programs from our weekly paycheck deductions and our taxes just as Obamacare will become successful.. Republicans despise that thought.

Almost EVERYONE can afford Obamacare premiums, but NOT everyone can afford the over-priced, insurance corporations premiums for the same coverage.....

Better than sending the billions of dollars yearly to the hugely profitable oil corporations from our tax dollars in subsidies (corporate welfare) As well as the billions the insurance corporations receive from our tax dollars..(corporate welfare). - This is FACT!