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The US Chamber of Commerce has decided to come out in public support of repealing the recently passed health care law. From Chamber CEO Thomas Donohue’s State of American Business address:
By mid-December, HHS had already granted 222 waivers to the law—a revealing acknowledgement that the law is unworkable. And, with key provisions under challenge in the courts by states and others, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
Last year, while strongly advocating health care reform, the Chamber was a leader in the fight against this particular bill—and thus we support legislation in the House to repeal it. We see the upcoming House vote as an opportunity for everyone to take a fresh look at health care reform—and to replace unworkable approaches with more effective measures that will lower costs, expand access, and improve quality.
This is a more forceful position from the Chamber than we saw after the bill passed. At the time, although Donohue supported the idea of repeal in spirit, he made it clear the Chamber was going to do nothing to advance the cause.
I highly doubt the Chamber thinks it can actually force repeal of health care reform, but it seems to have made the decision that supporting repeal is a good political move.
Keeping the flame of repeal burning probably helps the Chamber in two ways. One, by firmly positioning that as the right edge of the Overton window, it makes merely agreeing to a rolling back of some of the consumer protection regulations in the bill the “compromise” position.
Additionally, the health care bill remains unpopular and highly associated with President Obama. Helping the health overhaul stay a political issue probably weakens Obama’s re-election chances, and therefore strengthens the hand of the Republican-leaning Chamber.
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Has the President spoken to these muts yet? Or is that in the coming weeks? And what’s President Obama going to say to Donohue now? After all, Donohue is now crapping on 1990′s Heritage Foundation RomneyCare.
I guess “Get Sick, Die Quick” really is their mantra after all
In the midst of all this, my friend just texted me and told me she has a softball sized mass next to her right ovary. As sick as she is, this country is sicker. I wish I could move, I really do.
Oh…so sorry to hear that :(
Absolutely.
Talk about Death Panels for Granny… who’s pushing that notion now?
I assume FDL is pro repeal based on the prior positions opposing its passage in the first place.
strengthens the hand of the Republican-leaning Chamber.
The Chamber leans Republican like Karl Rove leans Republican like Rupert Murdoch leans Republican.
The Chamber is an arm of the Republican Party.
Is this the same Chamber of Commerce that had an orgasm over Obama’s latest hiring at the Whitehouse of the JP Morgan flunky?
Most of us here are pro medicare buy-in. Starting by extending Medicare to those older than 55.
That would be a good amendment to the R’s repeal health care bill, and would have as much chance of passing.
Stretches the left edge of the Overton window left. And throws a brick into the health care pond.
Hmm…
Either:
or
It’s nice to see that President Obama’s outreach to big business is bearing fruit.
Every day, The Chamber lambasted greedy Union Auto workers as it emphasized the unaffordable company-breaking “Legacy Costs” for the ungrateful workers who should all be happy to work for the invisible hand of the market at $5 per hour with zero benefits.
Later, when Health Care Reform was the topic du jour, The Chamber maligned Health Care Reform (especially the Public Option) as a Socialist Gubmint Takeover. Also daily. Spending millions on ads to that effect.
Never did the Chamber make the connection that Legacy Costs (Code for Health Insurance Premiums) could be virtually eliminated for Auto Mfgers via a “Robust Public Option”.
The Chamber had pimped itself out to AHIP. When the threat of any Public Plan was dead, the Chamber stopped the ads.
The Chamber is as good as Fox News at creating False Narratives and in Catapulting Right Wing Propaganda.
It is one sorry motherfking outfit. It is an extension of the GOP.
So sorry to hear about your friend, Margaret.
Sounds like an opportunity for another one of his “Beer Summits.”
You forgot the snark tag.
Of course it’s more complicated than that. Depends on what parts you’re repealing and what, if anything, they get replaced by.
Considering that the wingers are in charge of repeal, they’re likely to leave in everything that the left objects to, like mandates, and remove anything associated with cost cutting, provisions which were weak, complicated, prolly unenforceable to begin with.
That is the only good to come of it. A knock-out punch to the teeth is the reply to a Cass Sunstein Nudge.
It ain’t the cure, cuz Obama keeps going to the same well agin and agin. But there is some measure of sad entertainment in it.
I second that. Very sorry to hear this. :(
I am sorry to hear about that Margaret. Do you think that she might be eligible for emergency Medicaid insurance?
I am self employed and about to qualify for medicare. My medcal insurance presently exceeds $1800 per month and has increased approximately 300 per month for the past five years on an annualized basis. Medicare seeems like a poor alternative but cheaper.
That works.
By arm, I meant a subsidiary or an extension. Like that of the Giant Vampire Squid.
She’s got tricare so she’s not uncovered at least.
I don’t know that Obamacare, fully rolled out, is much of an upgrade over Chambercare. If fact, I doubt that it wwould be. (I see the 2012 election shaping up as a contest between a couple of well-dressed sociopaths, both about equally intent on crushing what is left of the middle class, and destroying liberty and the rule of law while they are about it.)
Oh well, at least I won’t have to spend time going door-to-door…
I can only speak for myself and my observations. Pro or con, many many of the people who posted on FDL commented that Obama was dooming the success of his presidency by creating and promoting the ineffective pile of crap the law creates.
If she has TriCare, which I understand is better than and typically more honored by insurance carrriers than the civilian counterparts, how is it she had gone this long before this detection? You don’t have to answer or give any details as I don’t want to void anyone’s privacy. However, is there an overall system level issue here?
O! Thank goodness for that! That’s a good running start at getting decent treatment and FAST.
Guess Failbama shouldn’t have sold the public option down the river to his corporate freaks.
So will be Republicans be back to “Repeal and Replace”? Or is it just repeal now? If their intention is to offer a replacement, we’ve already seen Paul Ryan’s grand plan – a voucher to everyone who can’t afford insurance (138% above poverty level), maximum $5000/year. I’m sure Republican voters will be pleased with that.
I didn’t like the Affordable Care Act either, but see? It could have been worse.
I can’t answer that question because I don’t know. I know she’s been seeing doctors pretty regularly.
That would be my assumption as well, but in the end you have to weigh the reality of dumping upwards of 40 million people on the emergency rooms of the US. And in the process creating real death panels. They are there now and people are dying while the cost of health care still goes up, as yours has. I understand the repugs are not so keen on repealing it all, maybe just the unpopular individual mandate. But even that piece of joy has reaons for being. So we will see where the powers that be fall on this issue.
Gee, what a surprise that the “banner” accomplishment of the Obama administration, something that’s on the plus side whenever the “accomplishments” of this failed, lying president are talked about by his sycophants like Maddow, Schultz, Markos, and other bots.
We, the American people, were sold out from the beginning by the pricks in the Democratic leadership who never, ever intended to help anyone but themselves and their
sponsorsowners.I was against the bill without the public option – indeed when we had 60 votes we heard from Obama that he was in favor of a public option – and indeed it came about that the process required only 50 votes in a budget reconciliation bill to get a public option – at which point Obama lobbied against even a vote on the public option – and we learned that in the prior June he had committed to the insurance industry that there would be no public option – a month before he began making all those speeches telling us that he was in favor of the public option.
At that point the corporate giveaway Health Insurance (not health care) reform was all we were going to get. And even then I did not care if it passed given its price.
Now the “repeal” will be with retaining the subsidy to health insurers – but ending the – albeit minimal – consumer protections.
Repeal is not a big deal to me – its passage was not an accomplishment – it is weaker that what Nixon offered, what Oren Hatch offered, much weaker than Hillarycare, and indeed is a clone of the Bush years right wing think tank proposals.
But since it is only downhill – albeit a slight downhill – to the GOP likely replacement – I oppose repeal.
But I oppose only slightly – the design is based on corporate giveaways – and I am a member of the Democratic Party – unlike Obama.
extending Medicare to those older than 55″
an offer by Oren Hatch in 93 – on offer by Joe Lieberman before folks actually asked for his vote -
A great idea.
I like the “repeal and replace” bill that has Medicare at 55.
But the GOP has only “repeal” now – and we will get back to you on our new ideas – on offer. And we Know the GOP through Obama run the show.
I agree -
indeed over half of the pick up of formerly uninsured (over 15 million of the over 30 million projected) comes from the expansion of Medicaid – and we know that will not stay in the GOP rewritten bill.
I can’t speak for all of FDL, but I’m for repealing it and replacing it with Medicare for All. If this law is left in place, it will set a dangerous precedent. What private corporations will Americans be required to support next? I wrote a fake news story on My FDL about mandatory Walmart insurance a few weeks ago to illustrate that point.
Comparing Barry Bush Obama to whores, prostitutes and used car salesmen is unfair…
…to whores, prostitutes and used car salesmen
Why do people on this site and other liberal sites continue to defend this horrific health care law, just because you hate Republicans? There is nothing good about the law. It’s mandating health insurance, while providing little in the way of protections, particularly concerning cost. It’s insane for liberals to support this law. Will a Republican alternative be better? No, of course not – I’m not saying that. But the law itself is horrific. It’s leading a good number of Americans to believe that they’re going to get affordable health care coverage when they are not. Stop with this sham and scam of a president and start supporting real liberal candidates in 2012.