Obama Cares

I like the President’s latest speech in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Cannon Falls, Minnesota today. He turned the much-hated GOP derogative term “Obamacare” against the opposition today and said this:

“I have no problem with folks saying 'Obamacare,' I do care. If the other side wants to be the folks who don't care, that's fine with me. But, yeah, I do care about families who have been struggling because of crushing health care costs.”

The crowd loved it, and so do I.

Each and every one of the remaining 7 dwarves that constitute the GOP presidential wannabes have promised in the most strident sentences, that the first order of business when they run Barack Obama out of office is to repeal “Obamacare.”

I’d like to see that. I’d like to see that they repeal a law that 50% of American voters like tremendously, and only 39% want to see repealed. And the 39% don’t even suspect a provision of the law that just went into effect on December 1^st.  The most beneficial aspect of the law outside of the establishment of the insurance exchanges -  a provision that will make health insurance completely subject to the law of supply and demand.

The provision that kicked in just 5 days ago was the one that required health insurance companies to commit at least 80% of their premiums, their income, to actual healthcare payments. Large volume companies must pay 85% of their premiums toward coverage.

Believe it or not, for-profit companies, in the past, have committed less than that toward healthcare coverage, allotting a greater percent toward things like executive bonuses.

Yes, the payments that were previously denied were allocated toward covering payment for some insurance executive’s new yacht.

Now they are going to have to run a leaner and meaner machine. Something that the GOP should be applauding, because they want that so much in government.

But no. These GOP candidates are all against that. They really don’t care that people don’t get adequate healthcare coverage, but they do care that Ritchie Rich, the senior VP of coverage denials gets himself a new 50-foot yacht with a bonus funded by their customers’ premiums.

Obama does care.