US Congress Has Health Insurance: Makes No Sense to Deny Coverage to Others

Republicanism and Stupidism are synergistic "isms" these days.

Although many Republicans continue to have reservations about President Obama's Health Care Reform, these politicians (who are not insurance actuaries) are obsessed with wasting time to recall the 2008 Affordable Care Act. Rather than pay attention to issues that matter to the middle class, Republicans are hell bent on acting stupidly about a recall of the law.  

Republicans like Ted Cruz of Texas are putting their zeal into repeal of one law. They're wasting millions in tax money, some of it used to pay Cruz and his family's health insurance premiums, while he and others can carry on a stupid repeal mission.

MSNBC-TV a Republican pundit and former Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough says the obsession with recall is a "freak show".

Talk-show host Joe Scarborough Wednesday called out conservative members of the Republican Party (like Cruz) who want to unfund Obamacare, blaming them for continued GOP election losses. "This freak show has to end," Scarborough said on MSNBC's show "Morning Joe." (Cruz and others are even calling for closing down government to repeal Obamacare. Just doesn't get any more stupid, as Forrest Gump said, "Stupid is as stupid does" and closing down government is as stupid as "does" gets.)

Scarborough went on to say:

"You're too stupid to be a member of our (Republican) party (did ya' hear that Cruz?). How much more blood do you want to take from the conservative movement, from the Republican Party? How much more damage do you want to cause?" Scarborough asked.

If the Health Care Reform law had the benefit of money wasted by Republicans in Congress to repeal it, we'd have more resources available to support a successful implementation of this law.

Let's review what purchasing health insurance was like before the Affordable Care Act:

In March 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). It's now the law upheld by the US Supreme Court. The law makes preventive care—including family planning and related services—more accessible and affordable for many Americans. While some provisions of the law have already taken effect, many more provisions will be implemented in the coming years.

Although ordinary people began benefiting from Obamacare early in its implementation, the US Congress has, nevertheless, voted a wasteful 40 times since 2008 to repeal the law, all the while, every member of Congress, including their families and staffs, continue receiving excellent health insurance coverage, paid by taxpayers. 

Before the ACA, health insurance companies held all the aces when it came to who could buy their products and what services each beneficiary was entitled to receive.  

Now, the insurance companies must cover young adults up to 28 years old whose parents continue to pay the premiums. Prior to health care reform, young adults were typically dropped from their parents plans when they reached 18 years old. 

Prior to ACA, pre-existing conditions were often screened out or capped for children who were covered by their parents plans. This limiting access for children is now against the law.  All children are provided access to coverage under their parents' health insurance plans.

Today, because of the Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare", those greedy health insurance companies, the ones that take your beneficiary money and pay their shareholders with it, have some 'splaining to do to their customers. Since Obamacare became the law, health insurance companies must now tell customers how much premium money is really spent on services.  Imagine being told what your premium money is buying!  This didn't happen before the Affordable Care Act became law.

Another accomplishment is how ACA pays for wellness coverage. Imagine that!  Health insurance can now pay to help keep a person well, instead of only covering sickness care.  What could be cheaper than paying for wellness coverage? It just doesn't get much better for insurance companies than to pay a person to stay well, it's like dropping auto insurance rates when drivers have a good safety record.  Makes sense?  You betcha! Yet,  this didn't happen before the ACA became the law.  

And the list of benefits goes on. Sadly, Cruz and his freak colleagues have little interest in learning anything good about the Affordable Care Act.  Republicans thrive dwelling on negatives. For purely political reasons, Republicans want to repeal the entire law so they can claim a cruel political victory, at the expense of the middle class who need access to health insurance.  

Sure, there are valid concerns about the ACA, but the issues being debated can be fixed.  Repeal will  do more harm to our nations' uninsured.  Americans badly need health reform.  Although the ACA isn't perfect, it's certainly better than the way beneficiaries were held hostage by  insurance companies before 2008.

To repeal the ACA will set back our insurance progress to the early 20th century, when President Theodore Roosevelt supported Universal Health Care for Americans.

Scarborough scolded his fellow Republicans who are obsessed with repeal of the Affordable Care Act:

"Take your stupid act somewhere else, because I, for one, am tired of losing and having stupid people like you defining my party."

Although I'd like to admit the Republicans who are fixated on repeal of the ACA are dooming future elections in favor of progressive Democrats, I doubt there's only one stupid reason why the party  might loose. In fact, many stupid Republican positions are accumulating in the pool of causes leading to their political demise. Republicans are like a person with a weak heart who eventually develops respiratory and kidney illnesses.  One stupid position lead to others. Eventually, the entire party will be pronounced too stupid to govern.  

And maybe, when they're so weak they can't govern, the Republicans might come to  regret the limited time, energy and money they've wasted into repeal health care reform.  Ceasing this freak show could improve the Republican political prospects and protect their health in the process.  

Let's get the Vaudeville girl with the hook on the floor of the House to drag Republicans like Cruz and his stupid colleagues out of their seats in the US Congress, and soon.

It's time Republicans cut the freak act and focus, instead, on helping people, rather than improving insurance company profits.

Republicans should stop being labeled by stupidism.