Confronted Thursday with a constituent who supported Obamacare, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) was forced to acknowledge that Obamacare had helped some people.
In a video captured by American Bridge, a liberal opposition research group, Walberg was pressed on the health care reform law during a town hall meeting in Saline, Mich. One of the attendees told Walberg that he would start a business soon because of the flexibility that Obamacare had afforded him, concluding that “sitting there and repealing it when there are things that could be done to fix it is wrong.”
“That’s not to say that the ACA hasn’t helped a few people,” Walberg replied. “I’ve met those people. I’ve also met people who are now being helped by being subsidized who say I never want to be subsidized by the government.”
“I appreciate the fact that it works for you,” he continued. “I’m not saying that it hasn’t worked for some people.”
In Washington State, one that embraces ObamaCare, the estimate of uninsured before implementation was just under 1 million. Just under 600,000 signed up via WaHealthPlanFinder.
This statistic is insufficient to claim 60% reduction because of many factors. One is that it under counts people under 26 who gained coverage under parents policies earlier. Another is that it over counts those who had health insurance prior. Yet it also under counts those who bought directly from a broker or insurance company who did not have insurance previously.
What it DOES show is that a significant chunk of previously uninsured are now insured in Washington State.
It took RomneyCare many years to get to their current 98% insured rate. Tax consequences started small, and then increased. The web site was a disaster at first. Sign ups were really slow at first. Early sign ups were skewed more elderly and sickly. Later sign ups skewed more young and healthy.
ObamaCare has substantially the same design AND the same designers as RomneyCare. In similar States it should get similar results.
People climb down out of a very tall tree one step at a time. The hardest step is the first one.
Honestly, I liked him better in New Kids on the Block. Less stammering.
In what this republican is saying is that some people are getting help but at the same time is still knocking down Obamacare because people are getting subsidies to help pay for health insurance they can’t afford. This is the republican party in a nutshell. If you are a blue collar worker and are getting help for even private health insurance than you are scum. But, if you are a billion dollar corporation like some of these super farms, or oil companies, cattle ranchers, big bankers than government subsidies are ok. It is really all about how much money you have in your bank account that counts for the republican party. If you aren’t a millionaire die quickly and forget about health insurance. Michigan voters, even republicans will wise up about how Obamacare is helping working Americans finally get healthcare.
If you’re referring to GOPers who haven’t evolved, the first steps may be followed by a sharp THUD as they decend from the trees of their ape ancestors.