Republicans call it "Obamacare," and Democrats call it the Affordable Care Act. Whatever you call it, healthcare works. Rather than trying to repeal the healthcare law that that has bettered the lives of Americans young and old, Republicans should join Democrats in finding ways to expand it so that no American is without access to affordable healthcare.
The story of healthcare reform actually begins in 1912, when Republican President Theodore Roosevelt first attempted to pass a universal healthcare bill. His Square Deal would have guaranteed medical coverage to all Americans at the turn of the century. In 1935, when I was 5 years-old, President Franklin D. Roosevelt fought for healthcare as part of the New Deal. While restoring our nation after the Great Depression he called healthcare a right of all Americans regardless of their standing, race or creed.
For the past century, the American people sought the right to affordable and quality healthcare. In the wake of the worst recession in our country since the Depression, the privatized healthcare system was failing to protect Americans medically and financially. In all, 50.7 million Americans were uninsured in 2009. Between 2008 and 2009, 4.4 million Americans lost their health coverage from their insurance companies. Even those who remained covered were not getting affordable care. Medical bills from illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, accounted for more than half of all personal bankruptcies. However, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, those days are behind us.
Today, 17 million children across America and up to 32,000 in our Manhattan congressional district with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied healthcare. A total of 6,500 young adults in our district are part of the 2.5 million nationwide who can stay on their parents' health insurance after college until they are 26 years-old. Right now in our community, 18,000 children and 90,000 adults join the millions of Americans who have access to free preventive services such as HIV testing and cancer screenings.
Why do Republicans want to repeal these benefits from so many Americans? Doing so would cause 30 million people to lose their coverage. Opponents claim that the healthcare law kills jobs, but that has not been the case. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.5 million jobs have been created since the healthcare law was enacted. Almost half a million of those jobs were in the healthcare industry. In fact, 1,340 small businesses in our district have received tax credits to help maintain or expand healthcare coverage for their employees. $14.7 million in public health grants have been given to community health centers, hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers in the district to improve the community's health.
Healthcare reform has also improved Medicare and the lives of seniors, with 4,600 seniors in the district receiving prescription drug discounts worth $3 million, an average discount of $660 per senior. Aside from saving Americans money in short term, the Affordable Care Act will reduce the federal deficit by more than $100 billion over the next decade and by more than $1 trillion in the decade after that.
Millions of Americans now have access to better and more affordable healthcare benefits as a result of this law. Two years ago on March 23, 2010, I was proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues behind President Barack Obama when he signed the healthcare bill that I sponsored in the House. I will never forget that day. I will continue to work tirelessly to defend and expand access to affordable and quality healthcare for my constituents and all Americans.
Follow Rep. Charles Rangel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cbrangel
Site: http://www.newmax.com/Newsfront/Obamacare-costs-double-CBO/2012/03/14/id/432506
As to your link, the costs per year are actually lower than initially predicted. The years reported on have changed.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/293932/no-obamacare-s-costs-didn-t-double-patrick-brennan
Florida Standard
This is a wonderful online magazine.
http://www.thefloridastandard.com
Because it is another tool liberals use to buy votes. In fact liberals get a big thrill out of the fact that they are using money stolen from conservative tax payers to buy votes from illegal alians.
If the mandate is upheld, the government will have the legal right to place any and all citizens into financial slavery.
The government will legally be able to tell you what groceries to buy, what car to buy, whether to rent or own, what you can buy with your retirement account (hint: treasuries to subsidize reckless spending), what entertainment you can spend money on and so forth.
Want to be a financial slave? Want your kids and grandkids to be financial slaves?
This is about so much more than healthcare. Think about it.
Not true Straw Man fallacy, liberal parroting lie.
You are exactly right my friend. Obamacare has NOTHING to do with helping poor people get healthcare it is totaly about destroying the U.S. Constitution and turning this country into a Marxist camp. Fanne you.
Doctors hammer Obamacare
http://youtu.be/PJ-p29xEM0s
I realize that as a liberal you have no interest in the truth and simply regurgitate whatever liberal garbage you think fits in with your narcissistic agenda so I will prove your error.
Here is what conservatives do for the poor and needy:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/08/MNP1168NEP.DTL
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/new-bishops-central-storehouse-serve
http://youtu.be/uYrNBpJly9s
http://youtu.be/l-QK8ygLu38
http://newsroom.lds.org/article/many-mormon-helping-hands-provide-community-relief
http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/africa_landing.htm
http://lds.org/service/humanitarian/center?lang=eng
http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/landing.htm
http://www.providentliving.org/project/0,13501,4607-1-2009,00.html
http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/homepage.htm
The 2010 scoring showed a cost of $948 billion over 10 years , meeting Obama's promise of less than $1 Trillion (with a T). You may remember that, Charlie, if you hadn't been re-calculating your personal income tax returns and fighting Ethics Committee problems.
Last week, in its revision, the CBO said the 10 year cost would be nearly double - $1.76 Trillion (yes, T). Double.
More interesting, at least to those of us who knew Obamacare costs were pure fiction, the CBO estimates that ObamaCare will cover millions fewer people that Obama told us. Fewer.
Americans, and not just Republicans, think repealing this out-of-control monster and starting over with a real health care reform is the only way forward.
For those of us, Democrats, Republicans and Independents (like me), who observed this travesty being created, the dimension of the disaster was apparent on that day you will never forget, when Obama signed it into law.
That day, we watched as shares of insurance companies, health care providers, pharma companies, and health equipment manufacturers shot up! That's what I will never forget about that day. The triumph of the drivers of health care costs!
You should be ashamed of this article. But then, your comportment the last few years in the House demonstrates that shame is a foreign emotion for you.
Fanned and Faved.
Those "minor revisions" changed everything, says you? NOT one whit.
What is the point of your comment - that a revision to a footnote make my points inaccurate or even invalid?
Methinks not.
http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/03-13-Coverage%20Estimates.pdf