While Republicans in the Senate are trying to move forward with a so-called “slim repeal” of the Affordable Care Act, conservatives at this point simply have no reason to expect their lawmakers to implement effective change. While there’s no reason to rule it out, Americans should prepare for how to live with the gargantuan law.
For the time being, people will continue forced payment into an inefficient health care system that solves none of America’s health care problems. When people get sick, they will continue to suffer long wait times, less choice in terms of doctors, and poorer care when they actually are seen.
Democrats know this system is inefficient. They are sticking to it as a last ditch effort to save their party from complete obscurity. The American public completely rejected their socialist policy in 2016, and they don’t really have any other leg to stand on.
It is time for Democrats to rework their philosophy, not uphold a failed policy to save face. We know that they won’t do this, of course, and Obamacare will continue to be the law of the land for the time being. The question is where people with common sense go next.
Conservatives in government may have other ways to weaken Obamacare without actually repealing it. It’s time for such options to be explored.
Part of the reason the repeal did not work is that Republicans focused too much on the public face of the campaign. Bringing too much attention to the process allowed Democrats to mobilize what was left of their political machine. They were able to sway Republicans in Congress due to this public pressure. These legislators would not have jumped the fence if the vote had been kept quiet.
Conservatives must continue to assert states’ rights in the administration of health care. Although Obamacare is federal policy, it is all but neutralized in many states because of the hard work and courage of state and municipal level politicians.
Obamacare has affected health insurance pricing negatively, yes. However, prices are not as high as they would be without conservative resistance, so people at least have a relatively affordable set of choices.
The federal government knows that it does not really have a leg to stand on. The most it can do is threaten to remove federal funding from states that do not comply, and this is a weak threat for states that have the ability to buckle down.
Democrats are still politically weak ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans can and should put more pressure on these elections by drawing attention to the hard facts of Obamacare. Nearly every race, regardless of geography, has room for the health care talking point. Showcase just how much money Obamacare is taking out of the local economy. Make it personal to the people in the area. Let people know what Republican senators were trying to do.
In this way, conservatives can use the continued presence of Obamacare to gain ground during the mid terms.
Obamacare relies on selling itself to young people. If they don’t take, the program fails. Encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in young conservatives. If they opt out of the traditional job market, Obamacare punishments cannot touch them. Without their support, Obamacare fails. Moreover, we uphold the conservative ethos to do for ourselves and start businesses on the ground level.
This isn’t over.
~ Liberty Planet
