The Senate failed to raise a vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, and it looks like a vote to just repeal will also go down in flames. Everybody is talking about what to do, including the President. He made a statement that I believe struck fear in many a Democrat when he said: “Let Obamacare Fail.” If the Republicans just walk away and do nothing, the Democrats will own the massive debacle.
Before the 2018-midterm elections, two premium increases will go into effect, and given that the Congress is unlikely to do anything, the Democrats will own the whole issue of Obamacare. Not one Republican voted for the original bill, so no one can blame the Republicans.
Almost a year and a half is a long time, and I think it would be unrealistic to suggest that all the health care insurers in the exchanges will be in the exchanges or marketplace by the midterms. What will a family do if they have no health care insurance providers in their town or county, and perhaps in their state?
Will companies want to expand knowing that health care costs are going to increase and they have no idea by how much? Businesses who have coverage for their employees now will be worried that their carrier will refuse to renew their coverage. If you run a business and it is facing the possibility of not providing health care insurance, how will you hire new employees and equally importantly, how will you retain existing employees?
Very few people in this country can self-insure health care, so a lack of coverage may quickly bankrupt families if someone needs hospital care. CBS market watch showed the results of a survey from Bankrate.com that said, “63% of households could not handle a $500 car repair. The agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that the average cost of a stay in a hospital is about $10,000. If 63% can’t cover the $500 cost for a car, then even less could handle the $10,000 hospital bill.”
It seems to me that the Democrats are now between a rock and a hard place. If they cross the aisle to work with the Republicans, they are admitting that Obamacare was a mistake. If they leave it in place, they very likely will get destroyed in the midterms. They can’t blame the Republicans for not fixing their program. According to CNN Politics, healthcare is the most important thing on American’s minds. Practically, it is ‘in your face’ in the news.
Some reporters are suggesting that Mr. Trump is derelict in his duty by not fixing Obamacare. I do not believe the President has the responsibility to fix the failing Democratic Party healthcare system in the United States. Where in the Constitution does it say that all Americans are entitled to government-sponsored health care? It is clear that the Republicans do not have the votes to repeal Obamacare, so the question becomes, will a handful of Democrats cross the aisle and work with the Republicans to try and fix this terrible problem? I will answer my question by saying, not this year, but it could happen in early 2018. The Democrats want this issue off the table, or there will be no discernible Democratic Party after the midterms. It is not the Republicans at risk; it is the Democratic Party.
The results of the 2016 election moved the Democratic Party more to the left and even now, perhaps even a little further left. Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer are to the far left, and the Democrats can’t win with a far-left agenda. If the Republicans can’t soon pull together a repeal of Obamacare, it’s dead in 2017. The left in America is tacking even further to the left, if that is possible. On global warming, for example, there is an outrageous claim that having one less child will save the planet. David Brower, the first executive director of The Sierra Club, said “Childbearing [should be] a punishable crime against society unless the parents hold a government license … All potential parents [should be] required to use contraceptive chemicals, the government issuing antidotes to citizens chosen for childbearing.”
Is it possible for the Democratic Party to tack back to the center? It is evident to me that if it wants to have a viable party, it has to move. But to move to the center, it will have to abandon what are now its core beliefs. The Democratic Party over the last 40 years has become the party of victims. For the party to move to the center, it will have to abandon some of its victims, and I just don’t think it’s possible. For in trying to move itself to the right, the fracturing of the party elements that will have to take place will tear it apart.
The Democratic Party is like Humpty Dumpty: All the king’s horses and all the king’s men can’t put it back together again.
Dan Perkins is an author, radio and TV talk show host, current events commentator for seven blogs, and a philanthropist. His books are available on Amazon.com. More information about him, his writings, and other works are on his website: danperkins.guru.
