Dems seek to leverage ObamaCare fight for midterms

The Hill ^ | 06/14/18 | Peter Sullivan

[yesthatjallen]

Democrats are seizing on the Trump administration’s push in court to overturn ObamaCare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, hoping to leverage the issue ahead of November’s midterm elections as some Republicans rush to distance themselves from the move.

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to join a legal battle arguing that one of the most popular parts of ObamaCare should be struck down is being viewed by Democrats as a political gift, with the party apparatus quickly using the issue to attack GOP candidates and rally their base.

Ever since the DOJ joined 20 GOP-led states last week in arguing against the measure, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been sending out a drumbeat of press releases asking Republican Senate candidates where they stand on the administration’s arguments.

Democrats are also highlighting the fact that Patrick Morrisey, who is challenging Sen. Joe Manchin (D) in West Virginia, and Josh Hawley, who is challenging Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in Missouri, are two of the Republican state attorneys general who brought the lawsuit against ObamaCare in the first place.

Replying to someone asking on Twitter late last week if Hawley would “protect my two year old son’s health care,” McCaskill tweeted: “No Tyler, he won’t. He is one of the AGs bringing the lawsuit to end the protection of those with pre-existing conditions.”

ETC...

[yesthatjallen]

Democrats want to re-ignite the ObamaCare fight.

They must believe it's a winning issue.

This is going to be about writing the winning narrative.

[goldstategop]

Obamacare the political albatross.

The Democrats should relitigate it. Its been such a winning issue for them!

[Principled]

Yeah because 0bamacare has historically been such a winning issue?

Poor dems are left arguing for 0bamacare, against tax cuts, against NK denuclearizing, against the lowest unemployment in decades...

Need moar winnamins....

[AC86UT89]

Obozocare would be off the table had the GOPe passed “repeal and replace”. Or simply repealed it altogether.. which is what they promised us they would for 7 years as long as we gave them both houses of Congress and the WH. Which we did.

[KC_Conspirator]

Obamacare is a scourge on our economy and punitive for those who have to use it. Please run on it. Tell people they can keep their doctors and plans again while they are at it.

[relictele]

In a grim irony, the free market and human ingenuity have done their level best to cope with an onerous combination of price hikes and red tape dictated by government.

That is, of course, not an endorsement of Obamacare.

Right now Obamacare is a sleeping dog (but still a dog). Dems who think waking it up deserve to be bit good and hard.

They really do have to stop listening to their unpaid PR arm known as the mainstream media. The media have a completely separate agenda no matter how well camouflaged it may be.

On the other hand, if Dems keep listening to the media they will continue to fail. So keep it up Dems!

[rlmorel]

They want to reignite it, because they think that is all they have.

What was fascinating was the official notice last week that the Justice Department “Will decline to defend Obamacare”.

That is significant. Very significant, and the leftists can read the writing on the wall. I think there is a lawsuit against Obamacare by 20 states who are largely saying that, due to Congress’s recent repeal of the individual mandate penalty, the entire Obamacare package is unconstitutional. Of course, the usual states will probably band together and file a suit to the opposite, but...the fact the DOJ will not defend it is important.

So...this is likely what they are going to run on.

Good on them. Go for it.

[rlmorel]

I’m with ya, relictele!

[goldstategop]

They’re on the wrong side of history.

A few more losing issues and the Democrats are set.

[sheana]

It has been punitive for everyone’s health insurance premiums whether actually on Obamacare or not. The minute they started talking about Obamacare the price of private insurance started rocketing up and hasn’t stopped.

[lurk]

Ocare is popular with the chronic sick, terribly sick and preexisting crowd. Everyone else not so much.

[SpaceBar]

Obamacare is still law even though it’s been largely defanged by axing the ‘individual mandate’, but needs to be removed like a cancer lest it grow back.

[robroys woman]

I’ve noticed when Obamacare comes up on leftist youtube videos they actually speak from a perspective that it is gaining popularity.

As Yoda would say, “Strong, with the echo chamber, they are.”

[Political Junkie Too]

Democrats are seizing on the Trump administration’s push in court to overturn ObamaCare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions...

Here are my thoughts on "pre-existing conditions."

1. I see two "classes" of pre-existing conditions:
   • The "bad class" are those who wait until they get sick and then try to get insurance. These are the people who get into auto accidents without insurance and then complain about the costs, and who have house fires without insurance and then complain about the costs.
   • The "good class" are those with a history of continuous health insurance, likely provided through their employer, who contract one condition or another as many aging people do and have it treated through their plans, who then lose their jobs and employer-provided health care and suddenly find themselves with "pre-existing conditions" when seeking new health care coverage.
2. To the "bad class," I can see the immense popularity that pre-existing condition coverage would have for these people, as it rewards them for earlier irresponsible behavior. At this point, I haven't attributed motive to this class, but it could be that:
   • They are young and healthy and were willing to assume the risk,
   • They were unmarried and didn't feel the burden of family responsibility yet,
   • They were barely getting by and couldn't afford the insurance premiums.
3. To the "good class," I can see the popularity that might come from making pre-existing condition coverage available.
   • These people had plans they liked that were covering their conditions, and doctors they liked that were managing their conditions.
   • ObamaCare converted existing conditions into a pre-existing conditions when it set the framework for driving out he health care plans that Obama insisted people could keep. These people wouldn't have pre-existing conditions if there were no ObamaCare.
   • ObamaCare's "employer mandate" destroyed the 40-hour work week by converting full-time workers to part-time (under 30 hours per week) to avoid triggering the mandate. This caused people to either lose their jobs or lose wages, resulting in losing their health care insurance. Again, ObamaCare itself was the catalyst for converting existing conditions into pre-existing conditions through no fault of the person.

So, I think there are appeals to be made here. At the least:

• One could express sympathy with the plight of the "good class" of people who were doing the right thing but were harmed by ObamaCare.
• One could offer potential solutions to the "good class," such as portable insurance options so that people don't feel tied to their employers or at risk when laid off from jobs.
• One could encourage the "bad class" to rethink their options, or offer other insurance packages like combining health and auto coverage together where the same premium covers whichever condition occurs first (illness or accident), or something else.

Personally, I would appeal to the responsible majority who didn't want ObamaCare, but wanted a solution to the pre-existing condition paradox they found themselves in because of ObamaCare. I would treat the appeal to the others as the "tail wagging the dog," offering some options but not making the whole health care system cater to them.

-PJ

[Vendome]

I thought ObamaCare was suppose to cover everyone.

There are still 40 million people without givernment mandated insurance.

Why?

Defend that...

[DoodleDawg]

Democrats want to re-ignite the ObamaCare fight.

They must believe it's a winning issue.

This is going to be about writing the winning narrative.

And the narrative is going to be that the Republicans want to do away with coverage for pre-existing conditions, which would be an side effect of striking down Obamacare. The pre-existing coverage issue is easy to turn into sound bites and plays well on TV. It is also one of the very few almost universally like features of Obamacare. Not sure what the GOP response would be since neither they or the administration has a replacement.

[DoodleDawg]

Obamacare the political albatross.

Healthcare is the GOP albatross now. They own it.

[crusher2013]

At some point in your life, you or someone you love is going to end up with a major illness and thus have a preexxisting condition.

So what is your solution for these people? Leave them with no coverage? What is the point of Health Insurance if you can’t afford to get sick.

This is an honest question.

By the way - Obamacare was a massive failure because it was based on force and it didn’t tackle the reasons health care is so expensive. (lack of free market).

[DoodleDawg]

Please run on it. Tell people they can keep their doctors and plans again while they are at it.

Notice that they aren't running on Obamacare, per se. They're saying that the Republicans want to end coverage for pre-existing conditions, one of the few really popular features of Obamacare. And which would be a side effect of striking down Obamacare altogether.

[DoodleDawg]

It has been punitive for everyone’s health insurance premiums whether actually on Obamacare or not.

My healthcare through my employer went up $3 per paycheck.