Shocking.
Not.
Rick Perry and Greg Abbott have been railing against the Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare, since the day the bill passed into law.
The junior Senator of the once great state of Texas, Ted Cruz, is doing the same in Washington, D.C.
The political climate in Texas right now is downright pitiful. We have a bunch of B actor circus clowns like Rick Perry and Greg Abbott who have gone off of the rails. The Governor will routinely bash gay people but many of us know about his little rent boy habit. Both men spew half truths, outright lies, both of which are laced with the usual dog whistles that are thinly veiled code words for hate, racism and fear.
These right wing poor excuses for humans have been singing this song for so long that all of us know the predictable chorus.
The federal government and President Obama is the root of everything evil. The feds want to take over our lives and tax us to death. The irony here, of course, is that it is the Texas Taliban that has imposed more government regulation, at least where women are concerned. And then there is the ongoing hysteria over state rights, state rights and state rights. That and Rick Perry and the Texas Taliban's relentless war on women's and voter's rights. Not to mention their obsession with gerrymandering so the GOP can keep its iron grip on Texas.
Worse, Ted Cruz relies upon his legal training and expertise as only a right wing partisan hack would. He is not afraid to insert many half and untruths into his red hot and divisive rhetoric. Rumors have it that this dude is so disliked that few in the Senate will ride in the same elevator with him.
Of course, most of his more sober colleagues have come to the conclusion that Senator Cruz is nothing more than an agent provocateur whose sole purpose is to throw red meat at his tea party base while working on behalf of the Koch boys behind the scenes in Washington D.C. Naturally his tea party base has no clue.
This is what right wing Republicans do. All of the time.
"Obamacare hurts the economy, it hurts jobs, it hurts young people, it hurts Hispanics, it hurts African-Americans, it hurts single moms—it hurts everybody struggling to climb the economic ladder," said Cruz, during his maiden address.
Well, Mr. Cruz, a recent report reveals that what you say about Obamacare is simply not true.
This is what happens when our elected officials have no intention of working on behalf of their constituents. All of three of these men are right wing partisan hacks and puppets for their corporate masters and donors.
Take a look at the Obamacare Report Card. This is where we can learn real facts, goals and outcomes.
Now why on earth would the Taliban Trio object to this?
Yet it has already thrown a lifeline to people at high risk of losing insurance or being uninsured, including young adults and people with chronic health problems, and it has made a start toward reforming the costly, dysfunctional American health care system.
What so reprehensible about this? How does it hurt young people? It seems that the opposite is true.
An estimated 6.6 million people ages 19 through 25 have been able to stay on or join their parents’ plans as result, with more than 3 million previously uninsured young adults getting health insurance. The law requires private health insurers to provide free preventive care, without co-pays or deductibles. Some 71 million Americans have received at least one free preventive service, like a mammogram or a flu shot, and an additional 34 million older Americans got free preventive services in 2012 under Medicare.
How does Obamacare hurt the economy, Taliban Ted?
REINING IN HEALTH CARE COSTS Sharp declines in the annual growth rate in overall health care spending and in Medicare’s cost per beneficiary have eased the pressure on federal budgets and on private insurance premiums. The main factor was presumably the recession, which made people reluctant to spend on health care, but it is possible that the focus on reform has led many providers to act more frugally. The law has reduced unjustified overpayments to private Medicare Advantage plans, which enroll more than a fifth of all beneficiaries, and despite fears to the contrary, Medicare Advantage premiums have fallen by 10 percent and enrollment has risen by 28 percent since the law was passed.
How about not throwing sick children into an early death, boys? U.S. House Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) was not kidding when he said the Republican plan for health care is two-fold.
1. Don't get sick.
2. If you do get sick, die quickly.
Private insurers are now required to cover children with pre-existing conditions, which means that an estimated 17 million such children have been protected against being uninsured.
Imagine the horror of more accessible medical care for more people.
The law appropriated $11 billion over five years to build and operate community health centers, a major factor in increasing the annual number of patients served to 21 million, a rise of 3 million from previous levels. Some $5 billion has been put into a reinsurance program that has encouraged employers to retain coverage for retirees and their families; 19 million people benefited with reduced premiums or cost-sharing.
I think I learned why the Taliban Trio really objects to Obamacare. It seems that some of their puppet masters, the private insurers, have to spend more on people rather than profits.
SAVING CONSUMERS MONEY Private insurers are required by the law to spend at least 80 to 85 percent of their premium revenues on medical claims or quality improvements, or they must pay a rebate to consumers. In 2012, insurers had to pay $1.1 billion in rebates, an average of $151 per family. Although Republicans contend the law will drive up insurance premiums, thus far it seems to have reduced them. Any insurer that wants to increase its premiums by 10 percent or more for people who buy their own policies must justify the increase to state or federal officials. As a result, the proportion of rate filings that sought increases of 10 percent or more fell from 75 percent in 2010 to 34 percent in 2012, and it is expected to be even lower this year. The average premium increase in 2012 was 30 percent lower than in 2010.
I urge readers to study the entire report card. The outcome for Obamacare, though far from perfect, is a huge improvement over the former for profit health care/die quickly system of the past. And if we can elect more progressive Democrats into office the possibility of adding a public option becomes a realistic goal.
Fortunately, there is some good news coming out of Texas despite its majority of political goofballs and whackobirds.
A win win for women's health care.
Rick Perry has real issues with access to affordable health care especially where women are concerned. And lately, because the federal government bypassed the state and funneled $6.5 million directly into a coalition of women's clinics, the Governor is apoplectic.
Texas. Imagine the state of Rick Perry's disposition when the Governor realized he could not turn $6.5 million of federal money into a cash cow for himself and his donor cronies.
Cross posted on Texas Kaos.
The federal government awarded the funding to the Women's Health and Family Planning Associate of Texas because it promises to serve more women than the current state system.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Monday announced it had awarded a competitively bid grant from the federal Title X program to the Women's Health and Family Planning Association of Texas, bypassing the Department of State Health Services, which had been administering the program.
A win win for women's health care and a lose lose for Rick Perry and the Texas Taliban.
The decision represents the latest skirmish between state leaders and family planning advocates over the distribution of government funds. The state of Texas and Planned Parenthood currently are in litigation over a separate government family planning program, the Women's Health Program. Rather than comply with a federal rule against excluding providers, the state of Texas declined federal matching funds for that program after the Legislature banned any state dollars from flowing to affiliates of abortion providers. The state took over the program and is now running it, though the transition had a rocky start with an inaccurate online list of approved providers.
Which makes me realize why Rick Perry and the Texas Taliban have declared a war on women. Most women are obviously a lot smarter than Rick and his ilk. That and small government Texas is not very good at running health care clinics.
Intelligence when accompanied by compassion is a win win for everyone.
Hagerty noted that in 2011, the Texas Legislature cut $73 million from the budget's family planning programs, forcing some 50 women's health clinics across the state to close. Health and Human Services Commission analysts have estimated the family planning cuts would result in 24,000 more births to low-income mothers, at a cost of as much as $273 million more in spending by the state, mostly in Medicaid expenses, over the next budget cycle.
"We are hoping to go back and reopen clinics," she said. None of the 34 clinics that will get the grant money provide abortions. "They provide high-quality family planning."
Not only will these clinics serve more women, they will also make family planning more widely available. Now, what is so awful about that?
Update: Earlier today Governor Rick Perry, U.S. Senators Cornyn and Cruz held their promised Obamacare bash fest. Naturally all three men railed against something the state with the highest number of uninsured could use in a NYC nanosecond. Expanded Medicaid.
A large number of protesters showed up and loudly made themselves heard. Please check out their lively action.
Bravo protesters. You make Texas proud.