Posted on 11/06/2013 1:56:09 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Photo of JoEllen Brothers and Lee Hammack via ProPublica.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Loyal Democrats thought they could simply elect their progressive messiah and social justice would flood the land as sea levels dropped.
Everyone knew that the U.S. healthcare system was imperfect, so just let Obama make a few quick changes and, voilà, better care for less money! Sure the guy had never run so much as a county fair’s funnel cake concession, but how tough could healthcare reform be?
The president’s most ardent fans are now learning that magical thinking and good intentions don’t amount to much in the real world.
Take San Francisco architect Lee Hammack and his wife, JoEllen Brothers. The 60-ish couple describe themselves as “cradle Democrats” and have donated and volunteered for Obama’s OFA efforts. So it was quite the shock when Kaiser Permanente canceled their health insurance plan and offered a poorer version for twice the price.
“I work downstairs and my wife had a clear look of shock on her face,” he said. “Our first reaction was clearly there’s got to be some mistake. This was before the exchanges opened up. We quickly calmed down. We were confident that this would all be straightened out. But it wasn’t.”
“There’s an aspect of market disruption here that I think was not clear to people,” [Kaiser spokesman Chris] Stenrud acknowledged. “In many respects it has been theory rather than practice for the first three years of the law; folks are seeing the breadth of change that we’re talking about here.”
Massive governmental interference creates unintended consequences? Get out!
While other Democrats are seeing the light, Hammack has so far refused to let the scales fall from his eyes. At his current income, he doesn’t qualify for Obamacare subsidies… yet. He plans to lower his salary so that you and I can pay for his healthcare.
That’s what he’s leaning toward — lowering his salary or shifting more money toward a retirement account and applying for a subsidy.
“We’re not changing our views because of this situation, but it hurt to hear Obama saying, just the other day, that if our plan has been dropped it’s because it wasn’t any good, and our costs would go up only slightly,” he said. “We’re gratified that the press is on the case, but frustrated that the stewards of the ACA don’t seem to have heard.”
Mr. Hammack, Obama is the steward of the ACA. When you pass through denial and enter the anger phase, please remember this lesson at the voting booth.
What do you think: Will the real-world pain of Obamacare return some Democrats back to common sense, or will most stay put in the land of magical thinking?
Useful idiots
Big time Useful Idiots.
They get Obama’s boot up their butts and still try to justify the pain.
Naturally not. Why spoil a perfect theoretical understanding with messy real-world facts?
You can't fix stupid.
Correction: just a “bit” over $62K
I don’t see any indication from the article that Mr. Hammack has learned anything. It seems that he’s in denial.
Obama voters don’t learn. That’s why he has a second term.
So the change these dolts voted for.. is forcing him to make less money in order to pay for higher insurance. Sounds real progressive.
Collectivists are mentally deranged and ill. There is NO other explanation.
They do have a fault in their DNA that prevents any kind of rational thought from getting through.
In the back of my mind, I really do believe that collectivists are Mr. Stitch’s children. They are the ones who people his earthly kingdom.
Some can be reached, most cannot be saved.
I have taken intense anger on various social media sites for wishing Libs would have to suffer more than Conservatives for the
Libs voting decisions. We don’t deserve the pain of their stupidity! These people are now conspiring to avoid the pain they voted for......no surprise here. The hypocrisy of Libs is overwhelming.
Esyay?
"If only Comrade Stalin knew what his Commissars are doing he would put a stop to it!"
Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.
OFA! like the greek OPA!
Short for “O F**k’n A!”
This will in no way deter these two from pulling the lever for the donkey.
And they probably love to rant about making evil corporations “pay their fair share”. God I hate these people.
The Dems newest mantra is, “Fix it, don’t nix it.” The Obama administration is working feverishly to fix the federal website portal. They cannot nationalize health care without seizing control of the health care systems within the 36 states that refused to build a “state exchange.” Their current “fix-it” goal is November 30, but if it’s not fixed by then, they know they have time, the law, a boatload of determined bureaucrats, and three more years of President Obama. They do not intend to give up.
Nixing Healthcare.gov, the Exchange system, and the Obamacare law may soon seem like a great idea even to mom and pop Democrats. People all over the country, regardless of their political leanings, are learning some painful realities about the law that have nothing to do with the website, per se:
If you like your health plan you can NOT keep your health plan.
If you like your doctor, you can NOT keep your doctor.
If your insurance was affordable, it is now NOT affordable.
An “affordable” premium, subsidized by taxpayers, does NOT mean affordable coverage when out-of-pocket expenses are added in.
Liberals are impervious to correction by definition.
Quit dreaming.
The average Democrat is too dang ideological, easily fooled and stupid to ever have any common-sense.
That is why they vote Democrat in the first place.
These people have been on this planet for 60 years each and they still have no clue.
All emotion, no logic.
They just can’t figure how prices could rise when obama said they were going to fall. Tsk, tsk. Such a shame all that oxygen was wasted on these two.
You got that right.
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