Why Is Healthcare Reform Failing?

posted at 11:51 am on September 24, 2009 by Rovin
[ Healthcare ]   

Why were the drug companies, insurance companies, the AMA, and AARP on board early endorsing ObamaCare before much of the legislation was even written? Were there already backroom deals made before Obama began pushing his signature campaign promise to reform healthcare? Was Nancy Pelosi and the democratically controlled House aware that most of these “deals” were either agreed upon with a backroom handshake, or with a wink and a nod? President Obama certainly appeared to have his “ducks in a row” when he began this promotion. Polls showed early on that the nation agreed healthcare reform was a worthwhile endeavor until those pesky details began to rise. What changed?

The National Debt—A Price No One Can Afford

With a fragile national economy teetering on the brink of a full blown depression, Obama and the Democrats managed to pass a $3.55 trillion dollar budget package and a “stimulus” bill of $787 billion with virtually no Republican support. Then on a Friday afternoon of June 26th the House passed their version of a cap and trade climate change bill by a narrow margin of 219 to 212. Moderate Democrats waited patiently for the vote to reach a point where they could vote against the bill while it still passed. Republicans called the legislation an economic catastrophe that will cost the nation millions of jobs while passing on energy cost to an already budget thrifty public. Then, on Tuesday, July 14th, the House introduces H.R.3200 – America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009:

“The Chairmen of the three Committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced comprehensive health care reform legislation today that will reduce out-of-control costs, encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients, and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.” LINK

On the same day, (July 14th) the House introduces H.R. 3200, a USA Today/Gallup poll is released claiming a majority of Americans favor healthcare reform:

PRINCETON, NJ — As U.S. House leaders unveil a plan to reform the U.S. healthcare system, a USA Today/Gallup poll finds 56% of Americans in favor and 33% opposed to Congress’ passing major healthcare reform legislation this year. Support for healthcare reform before the end of the year is sharply split along party lines, with 79% of Democrats in favor, compared with only 23% of Republicans. (emphasis mine)  LINK

 An August Recess Legislators Will Never Forget

What the USA Today/Gallup poll failed to reflect in this poll was a growing groundswell of hard working taxpayers that were literally boiling over the spending policies Obama and the House were planning to further burden their already thin pocketbooks. Couple this with the fact that millions of retirees, (and those who were about to retire) had just lost nearly half of their lifetime investments, the August recess quickly became a summer full of nightmares for legislators on both sides of the political spectrum. Democrats that held town hall meetings were met with thousands of grassroots citizens not only protesting healthcare reform, but the out of control spending policies Democrats had passed in the previous six months. The liberal media was stricken with the realization that their advocation of Obama’s and the Democrat’s spending policies were being met with national resistance, and yet they, (and Democrats) attempted to spin the revolt as a conspiracy of angry un-Americans in the Republican Party.

On September 16, 2009, (almost 30 days after their initial poll), Gallup released this poll:

MANY AMERICANS DOUBT COST, BENEFITS OF HEALTHCARE REFORM

PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are skeptical that President Obama’s healthcare plan will be able to accomplish all he intends — to expand coverage to nearly all Americans without raising taxes on middle-class Americans or affecting the quality of care. Thirty-eight percent believe his plan will achieve all of these goals, while 60% do not think it will. (emphasis mine)  LINK

The final “death blow” was the feeble attempt by liberal Democrats—and an accommodating media—to accuse a resisting public of turning against the President’s policies because he was Black. The backlash of this insulting accusation is still reverberating throughout the nation. Barack Obama could have put an abrupt end to this nonsense, but remained silent while his White House staff and others allowed this pathetic rhetoric to swell, while citizens of all colors were taken aback and rejected the screed from a liberal media that fed this disgusting pig, (think Maureen Dowd for starters). It was an indictment of how low a party and the media was willing to sink to defend a failing plan to turn healthcare over to the government. With 62% of the voting public saying the nation is heading down the wrong track, you would think the liberal democrats would “get the message” loud and clear from their constituents.

In returning to my first paragraph, the question still remains, with so many “ducks in a row” lined up for passing comprehensive healthcare reform, and the largest potential opposition already on board, how/why did Obama and the Democrats forget, or chose to ignore the most devastating part of the equation—-their electorate?

Update: Ed Morrissey points to why healthcare reform continues to fail while Nancy Pelosi turns a deaf ear to even her own party.

Blowback