Grim reapers

The republican healthcare plan

A new study shows that in states where Medicaid Expansion was enacted, 19,000 lives were saved, but in states where it wasn't, 15,000 lives were lost.

Considering that every state where Medicaid wasn't expanded is controlled by republicans, I'm pretty sure we can surmise that all that pro life talk from folks on the right is pure horseshit.

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Dream weaver

Another republican who won't be our next President, Scott Walker, this week announced that he thinks it's good for low-income Americans to not have healthcare because it will help them live the American Dream.

Pretty sure this qualifies as a "What the fuck?" statement.  And frankly, it's one made all too often by those on the right who have spent most of their careers either playing tiddlywinks in the executive suite of some corporation or living off the generosity of the American taxpayers.

Basically, Walker believes that if we can get every able bodied adult into the workforce, companies will just shower them with all kinds of money and benefits and we'll all be singing in the sunshine.  But right now, that pesky government safety net is getting in the way.

Sure it is--just ask all those minimum wage workers at Wal-Mart, McDonald's, KMart, Walgreens, et al.

And ignore all those jobs that record corporate profits haven't created, or the record wage stagnation, or the record income inequality, or the record number of Americans living in poverty.

Or the millions of jobs that Scott Walker did not create in Wisconsin.

Because Scott Walker apparently has a magic wand that he hasn't used yet, but when he's President, look out.  He'll whip that baby out and all our economic problems are going to be solved.

Book it.

Peace,
emaycee

The six million dollar man

I'd be the first to admit that President Obama has been somewhat of a disappointment.  At a time in our nation's history when he could have strove for greatness, he chose to play it safe.  While our nation is a lot better off than it would have been under Crotchedy McCain or Richie Rich Romney, it's not nearly as well off as it could be had the President taken a hard turn to the left.

Still, while it has its faults, the Affordable Care Act may well go down as one of the greatest achievements any President can lay claim to--politicians have been trying since the days of Teddy Roosevelt to pass a national healthcare bill, and Barack Obama managed to be the first to get it done.

Today the number of people enrolled in private healthcare since Obamacare's rollout last October surpassed six million people, and this number does not even include the people who have health care now due to the Medicaid expansion.  And odds are, the number, and the coverage itself, will get nothing but better from here on out.

Well done, Mr. President.

I'll admit to being a little giddy--the Beautiful Girl was approved for Medicaid in Michigan today (we're a bit behind the curve here because of republicans trying to kiss their base's ass rather than look out for Michiganders' best interests) and will have health insurance for the first time since she lost her job thanks to the bozos on Wall Street playing over/under with the mortgage industry five years ago.  Thanks to Obamacare as well, when I changed jobs two years ago our son was able to get insurance through my new company despite his having a pre-existing condition.

As you might expect, I have a couple of words for the Koch Brothers and their toadies at Americans for Prosperity and all their bullshit ads:

Fuck you.

Peace,
emaycee

Be careful what you wish for

In the same week that the idiot Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, decides to stick it to that nasty old federal government by letting 1.5 million of his citizens remain without healthcare (and cost the rest of us money because we're paying even more for their emergency care), a number of reports show that a) the insurance rates that republicans claimed would go through the roof didn't even come close in California (or Oregon for that matter), b) that the benefits to Californians (and other states who choose to participate in the health care exchanges) will be multitudinous, c) that Medicare's outlook is improving thanks to Obamacare, and d) young adults and hospitals saved $147 million in 2011 thanks to Obamacare.

You have to wonder at what point citizens (not to mention businesses and health care providers) of states whose "leadership" decided to forgo the benefits of Obamacare to score political points with republicans will look at the healthier (and with more cash in their pockets due to more economical health care rates) citizens of states who chose the Medicaid expansion and to take advantage of the many benefits of Obamacare and realize they were sold a bill of goods that left them sicker and poorer.

And how much easier it's going to make the necessary expansions to Obamacare sail through.

Peace,
emaycee

Some smart s.o.b.

You know, somewhere in this great nation of ours has to be a Democratic governor who has the good sense to stand up and say something along the lines of this:

"I welcome the Medicaid expansion to our state and look to a future where we have citizens who are among the healthiest in the nation because all of our state's citizens will now be covered.  And we welcome those of you who live in states that are contemplating not accepting the federal funds to move here and join the best and the brightest, in the knowledge that you and your children will be among the healthiest in the land.  And we also welcome all those businesses who want healthy employees, and healthy families so they miss less work.  We want to welcome you to a state where our healthcare costs are actually going down, because we are no longer wasting precious taxpayer resources routinely paying for emergency care services.  Our people have health insurance and they're using it to make their lives better and our state stronger."

Can I get an amen?

Peace,
emaycee