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A Modest Proposal To Fix Obamacare: "Change The Name"
This was originally supposed to be a post about the household balance sheet, but after reading the following example of just how profoundly the Obama administration has crashed intellectually, morally and in every other aspect, we promptly changed our mind following one of the most profound Lewis Black moments yet.
As everyone knows by now, and especially in the aftermath of the Jonathan Gruber revelations which have made it clear that every single proponent of the Affordable Care Act is, well, an idiot, Obamacare has been not only a big disappointment - actually debacle may be a better word - with the administration's lackeys recently testifying to Congress why they fabricated enrollment numbers, but worse, it has sent healthcare premiums for tens of millions of Americans soaring higher in the process crushing any "savings" America's middle-class may have had courtesy of plunging gas prices (as explained yesterday).
And so, slowly but surely, Obamacare has transformed from the most admired law of the land to the most loathed and despised.
What is truly outrageous, or perhaps hilarious, is that this transformation has not been lost on the Obama administration itself. And now, engaged in unprecedented damage control, the former Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, on Wednesday suggested a simple fix to the “bad brand” of Obamacare: change the name.
As Politico reports, “I think we may need to call it something in the future different, but it is working,” Sebelius said at POLITICO’s “Lessons from Leaders” event.
Sebelius, who resigned in April following the botched roll out of President Barack Obama’s signature health law, said that current issues involving the Affordable Care Act have to do with its commonly used name.
“Obamacare, no question, has a very bad brand that has been driven intentionally by a lot of misinformation and a lot of paid advertising,” Sebelius said.
But she insisted the law is working.
“Not only are people getting coverage, [but also] the largest drop in uninsured rates in this country, the lowest healthcare cost growth in this country ever recorded,” Sebelius said. “So, it’s actually doing what it’s supposed to do and creating a competitive market for people who had no choice.”
Anyone surprised? Remember: these are the same people who bet on America's stupidity to pass the law in the first place. How can there possibly be any surprise that all they are doing now is doubling down that Americans are truly the dumbest people in the world, and hoping that they can be fooled by something as idiotic as a name change?
And just what should "Obamacare" be changed to? For the answer, we open it up to our readers, who we are confident can come up with far better names than the administration ever could.
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Good strategy for a populace with an attention span of about 30 minutes.
Yes, let's change the name. Let's call it "repealed."
How about passing a "Skyrocketing Medical Costs Act." As government always does the opposite of what it claims that should do the trick.
Peasant Care Act.
Fascisticare
Actually, it was supposed to REDUCE the cost of healthcare by $2500 per family. Unquote. In addition to higher co-pays and deductibles and of course the lies that "if you like plan/doctor, you can keep your plan/doctor". They are also not releasing data on the age distribution of enrolees OR how many have pre-existing conditions OR how many did NOT have insurance before (Which was the whole point of the bill). And there can only one reason why this information, critical to assessing the results of the bill, is not being released..
So upon what basis can this failure of a person claim that it is working? "Lessons from Leaders"?, what a joke.
But But but other people DESERVE to pay for my expected expenses while we call it insurance still! Because....war on women!
If anyone gave a true Fuck about women's health they'd be pushing free STI tests for men.
Guess they don't mind the Hpv, so why should I?
#malincentives
Worked for Blackwater, Xe... Whatever their name is now.
And so, slowly but surely, Obamacare has transformed from the most admired law of the land to the most loathed and despised.
Horseshit! It was never admired by those who were paying any attention and had at least 2 brain cells and knew it would never work. It was a monstrocity from day one when Gruber deviously designed it for Obola and the Dims to fool the American voters!
And as for changing the name - hell no! This Frankenstein law should be an albatross around the neck of Obola until the day he dies. And after he dies a pox on his "legacy." It's his... his scourge... forever!
re: horseshit. that was my response when reading the original post. it is so obviously a sellout to the insurance, pharmaceutical and medical industries. all other advanced nations have medical expenses half those of the u.s.a.
but i suppose if it had been stated "most admired law/policy proposed by the obama administration" that could have once been true. talk about your cleanest, very dirty shirt.
Except the cronys all exempted themselves.
Except the cronys all exempted themselves.
Including every single douchebag in the Senate and the House of Representin'....
lol. I have too, a very modest proposal. Call it National Health Service. Like in the UK. But don't stop there, adopt the British Laws concerning the NHS (or any other set of them, there are some 80 different models around the world, and they all function)
I know, "it's socialist". But you know what? It's damn cheaper. The "original sin" of healthcare in the US is in corporations that were allowed to provide them to their employees. IMHO, this corporate sin was just trasmogrifed into a different corporate sin. So from expensive to very expensive... for non-corporations. That's... you
No? Ok, it was just a very modest proposal about alternatives. Which US health care stocks do you think I should invest in? I hear it's "very good business", I heard that from an Asian business partner
+100
That's just a long and weasel way of saying you are ok with the name change, you socialist crony cunt. You're as bad as she is.
why should I, an european in europe, care how the thing is called as long as you keep it on your side of the pond? read again. down below I have an even more "socialist" message
Even the most vaaaaaaaguely Socialist ideas will never work in the US because they all assume that in order to be good little Capitalists they must be as greedy as possible and 100% rely on the fwee markits and NOTHING BUT the fwee markits to make it all fair. So you can have a perfectly good system that works great anywhere else in the world but the instant you try to transplant it into the US, they'll mangle it and exploit it until it doesn't work and then say, "I told you so. All fall to your knees and worship the 100% Infallible Holy Almighty Fwee Markits, the only force in the Universe that could possibly keep anything and everything honest."
Like the guy that refuses to let go of his suitcase full of gold even as he is drowning, some here will cling to their "100%-free-markets-and-there-is-no-better-way" even while that mindset pounds them into the ground. Meanwhile, the guy on the other side of the transaction laughs all the way to, oh hang on - he's already at - the bank.
And all the faults are because of Socialism, Communism, and Crony Capitalism. But one day Pure Capitalism will prevail! Any day now ...
Every form of government is beholden to the economic system; every economic system is beholden to independent acts of competition among humans. The concept of determining the outcome of human interactions by way of a list of demands called laws is fundamentally flawed. This is why governments fail and economic models are worthless. Whether it be "pure capitalism" (aka anarchy), socialism, communism, feudalism, or whatever other label you want to conjure, they're all fundamentally similar when viewed from the bottom up.
The flaws in fancy pants argument isn't that it is born from socialism, rather it is born from unsustainable fantasies on how humans should interact. While many see laws as well-intentioned attempts to correct social ills, albeit often ending with inefficiency at best, the true driving force is often more self indulging.
The problem doesn't lie with whether "corporations" provide coverage but whether providers must compete for customers.
Competition (and nothing else) drives down costs while improving quality. Putting control in the hands of government is the most certain way to shield service providers from competition. One reason costs are so high in the US is that there is little or no real competition among providers. The Swiss allow all regulated companies to compete for all customers, head to head. Everyone must be insured. Works for them. In the US, only a few annointed insurers are licensed in each individual state. The individual, separately state-regulated markets are nothing more than government-protected hunting preserves.
The assertion that Obamacare has lowered costs is just another bit of political legerdemain because we haven't yet seen the bill from insurers whose lost profits will be made whole by government refunds on the back end.
As to the Gruber's bragging, what's interesting is that other panelists filmed listening to his narcissistic remarks betrayed absolutely no indication they found his remarks offensive. The chap sitting right next to him in one tape (was that Oregon Gov Kitzhaber?) was actually nodding his head slightly in agreement that people are stupid and have to be tricked. The best argument for limited government is that it reduces opportunity for psychopaths -- public or private -- to live off public funds.
I broadly agree, and I know of the mantra of competition driving down costs. I repeat it often myself
but Switzerland has the second most expensive health care system of the world. meanwhile, everywhere around Switzerland, there is a state single-payer system that is cheaper
now, some ObamaCare supporter claim they somehow copied the Swiss system. Which is now the most complex and the most expensive of the world
and those are... facts. perhaps, just perhaps, sometimes, in certain things, "socialism"... works better then capitalism. because perhaps some socialist methods are better in "avoiding bads", while capitalism is fully superior in "producing goods". Like preventing illnesses versus curing illnesses
Do these european socialized medicine utopias offer a mecca for medical tourism? Further, I'll add that payments into the medical sector, by the government, are one of the mechanisms of financial control over the economy at large. Thus, it is patently impossible to analyze our medical sector for efficiency... it's one of the most important arms, if not the most important arm, of propping up the non-wallstreet portion of our economy. Our medical providers are incentivized to rack up as much money as possible for every patient, often without check or balance... and often without the slightest practical risk of enforcement due to the "too big to fail" nature of the medical sector. You're knocking us for racking up large medical bills, but I suspect you also favor welfare in one form or another... it's all the same, you're just arguing over who should get it.
The largest problem is that the government participates in the affair. If medical practitioners are forced to provide services based upon what the average patient can actually pay, then prices will decrease accordingly. As such, there will actually be a consequence for hollowing out middle america. The capital infrastructure and lavish equipment will still remain, and those willing to pick up the pieces will reap the rewards.
At the end of the day, for the vast majority of situations, no one wants for medical care here... this was true prior to the passage of obamacare.
We don't need to be concerned about more expensive or cheaper... it's an analysis in the wrong direction and vague at best, given it's pretty difficult to compare apples to apples among various systems. Rather, we need to be concerned about whether the system, as implemented, properly incentivizes people to the best of our drafting ability (to the extent we can actually change human behavior with a law). I'll posit that if properly incentivized, generally through participants actually having some marginal skin in the game, then the costs will not only be cheaper, but with no decrease in the quality of care. Instead of proposing that we adopt others' bad ideas, I advocate that we improve upon our own.
Sure it's "damn cheaper" unless you actually want healthcare...then you might just die or become permanently disabled whilst waiting for care.
We should go back to the model we had in the 50s - insurance was major medical only and every doctor's visit and test could be easily afforded even by the lower class.
SebeliusScare ?
ObamaScare?
Don'tCare?
PharmaCare?
MedicalIndustrialComplexCare?
MedicalInsurerCare?
Dilated Rectum* Care
*Wrecked 'em? Damn near killed 'em!
RectalRehydrationCare
WouldYouRatherBeDronedCare
UpkeepOnMyMansionCare?
NewYachts4UsCare?
BrandNewIslandAndGolfCourseCare?
PoisonPillSoEvenTheDumbestOfTheDumbTurnAgainstObamaAtTheChosenTimeCare?
ADogShitByAnyOtherNameCare?
CrappyComputerProgrammerWelfareandProfitCare?
BecauseVotersAreStupidCare
LICCBALS
Large Insurance Company Care Beholdin All Serfs
Colonics for everyone!
Other than Obamacare, the next fitting infamous name:
PinocchioCare.
Brought to you by liars, scoundrels, and thieves.
ISO-9000 certified Scheisse.
Folks-Care
"We cared some folks"
BHO
BumbledomCare
bumbledom
the world of petty and incompetent officials.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bumbledom
Lets stick with the Cromnibus theme and call it Cronycare. Alliteration!! Also the name would be accurate.
Except the cronys all exempted themselves.
or maybe ESADCare ?
Tyrannycare!
Let's call a spade, a spade!
You can't really repeal what is Unconstitutional.
an American, not US subject.
Comradecare.
Or : "Decepticare" brought to you by those cwazy Decepticrats whats passes bills to see whats in dem!
I got an idea
Call it, Medicaid for preventive services and MEDICARE for hospital costs. Instead of having monthly payments they could attach ones paycheck every week to make payments spread out over 4 weeks vs a monthly fee.
Dont leave any option to OPT out besides not working.
Wait coming to think of it, dont we already have a socialized healthcare system that none of you old FAHKS seem to bitch about?!?!?!?!?!??!
Do away with all the stupid programs and leave it up to the individual..... So yeah, for those that didnt catch it I was being sarcastic!!
Maybe they could change al qaeda to ISIS, so they can start more wars.
The "Future Different" ? Is that a new tense in English Verbs, the future different tense ? The whole fucking couintry is illiterate.
No shit. I read that like six times thinking " is this pasty ghoul channeling Yoda"?
"Sounds like the dark side and inspires fear, change the name we will"
Loool.
What is truly outrageous, or perhaps hilarious, is that this transformation has not been lost on the Obama administration itself. And now, engaged in unprecedented damage control, the former Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, on Wednesday suggested a simple fix to the “bad brand” of Obamacare: change the name.
"Free birth control buys votes act"
"gots thems negros still on the dem plantation act"
Patriot Health Care
Corporate Welfare Care
Fuck You, Pay Me Care
Stupidity Care
Pay Us, We Don't Care.
Homeland Healthcare for those now ruled by czars...
/fuck every last one of those bought off parasites...
ParasitiCare
No Shit; that's about as good an approximation as you're going to get.
I think simply calling it "LEECHCARE" says it all...and has a connection to medical quackery.
I was thinking 'Kleptocare' myself considering where the money goes... but 'Patriot Health Care' really says it all very well.
You beat me to Patriot Care...I was thinking Free Patriot Care...maybe CONgress (er, our elected dispensers of freedom) can make a new Free Patriot Care Act, something that claims to give us all unlimited free shit, but which actually sends all of us to prisons, err happy camps (where everything is free!)...
Here they call Obamacare NevadaHealthLink...they're pushing hard on the TeeVee for it, with no mention of the president's name...
Kerrycare, Health-o-Hillary, or Medi-Joe all sound good to me.
OVOMITCARE! Period!
She is still suffering the "Mandingo effect".
Lulz.
Its got 99 problems but the name ain't one.
If only you gon' need a warrant for that.
Hahaha Jk. Fucking broken shithole planet
Suggested new names:
"The end is near care"
"It'll make you swear care"
"Savings will be rare care"
(Truth in advertising).
Change the name from "Obamacare" to "Fleece Me Care Less"
It's not UNEMPLOYMENT, it's...
FUNEMPLOYMENT!
Brilliant!
It's not TERRORISM, it's...
MAN-CAUSED DISASTERS!
Brilliant!
Commie Care
PresidentDwayneElizondoMountainDewHerbertCamachoCare
Matches my avatar.
Brought to you by Carls Jr.
Administered by TacoBell™!
Sebelius, that goddamned Death Queen needs to spend some time rotting in a cell. She is EXACTLY who I am talking about when I say that in this country there are about 3000 of them running 350 million of us off a cliff.
One of our fellow ZH'ers posted this link the other day and in light of your comment it seems most appropriate (hang with it till you hear Eric Hoffer's comments):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4aSFv5mZrc
It gets even cuter than that-watch when he states that the "individual mandate" is a "tax"-exactly as Cheif Justice Roberts subsequently defined it.
In his opinion, Justice Roberts refers to this "tax" as the "shared responsibility payment"-a term BTW that applies to both any "insurance payment" or "tax payment";
That "mandate" has two parts -either you pay a "premium" to an insurance company-or you pay a "penalty " to the IRS
If you're sucker enough to pay the premium, you need to understand there is NO judiciary or legislature in the world that has ever, or is about to define exactly what services/benefits must be provided in return for a tax payment. "Your" insurance company has very wide latitude as to what, if any benefit, will be distributed to you courtesy of ObamaCare
Not suprising as they essentially wrote the bill.
ZeroCare
See ya in London Bitchez :P
I'm taking a dental care junket to Leeds.
.
More people are covered!
Those coverages aren't accepted by most doctors.
Sssssshhhhh. They're banking on a couple of numbers to declare it a success.
Why stop with re-branding ObamaCare ? Congress is every bit as popular as ObamaCare. Anybody have a suggestion for a new name for it ? Remember, there are some limits on indecency here on ZH (oh wait, maybe that's not true). And obviously, there is no need to be concerned that the term Congress is specified in the Constitution - we can change that by Executive Order.
Mcgruber care
Yeah, let's call waterboarding "hydrating the petunias".
And as John Brennan made clear today, drones are "unmanned aerial vehicles" and torture more cruel than Gestapo standards falls under the euphamism "EIT".
Even subsidized ACA plans with a $0 premium for the poor have a $6,000+ deductible and a 30%-40% co-pay.
WTF!?!? FYI - THAT IS NOT INSURANCE!!! So .gov or someone in the middle class sends insurance companies $279-$1,800 per month that covers...NOTHING!!!
Nothing! Let me say it again, the "insurance" covers not one fucking thing!!!
"Oh...well...if you get stomach cancer and have your guts cut out and can't work we'll pay 60%-80% of the bill and you'll have to declare bankruptcy and live in a shack."
THAT AIN'T FUCKING INSURANCE YOU HARPIES AND WARLOCKS!!!
Yes, I want to execute people over this, hang them from a tree.
THAT CAN'T BE GOOD FOR MY HEALTH NOW CAN IT!?!?!
Upvote.
Let's just call it what it is: A protection racket.
Pay up or else we burn down your house - Vinnie and Vito. Pay up and we will still burn down your house if we feell like it.
Clusterfuck.
It's hard to believe what damage this president has done to this country in terms of health care, budget deficits, jobs, and economy in just six fucking years.
Anyone who thinks this has not been the plan all along by him is crazy, If it was not planned he would be willing to scrap Obamacare and the rest but he's not and it's full speed ahead and over the cliff for America.
I really think its obvious that he was put in place to destroy what's left of this country.
No worse than most others and it isn't hard to go back and name some major fucks ups for every president back to Eisenhower without much difficulty.
And who do you think really wants to destroy this country and if they did, has the power to put in place a president? There are a lot of conspiracy theories on this site, and as long as they involve someone else making a shit ton of money by fucking over someone else, they are usually right. But I don't believe this one for a minute.
Obama isn't special by any means either. He's just another ho-hum president that entered in a little starry eyed and then quickly gave in to the status quo of how things are done in Washington. He's basically been checked out since March and I don't expect much else until he's out of office.
He'll likely be judged as a middle of the pack president as the ACA will get massaged into some form of a working system. He might not be remebered at all if he wasn't black though. We'd have another Coolidge.
"...he was put in place to destroy what's left of this country."
I'm going to respectfully disagree, and counter-propose that the most likely answer is the simplest - i.e. socialists from both ends of the political spectrum took power believing that their faith could save and the inevitable happened.
Why stop with re-branding ObamaCare ? Congress is every bit as popular as ObamaCare. Anybody have a suggestion for a new name for it ? Remember, there are some limits on indecency here on ZH (oh wait, maybe that's not true). And obviously, there is no need to be concerned that the term Congress is specified in the Constitution - we can change that by Executive Order.
RomneyCare.
If anything then RobertsCare.
Obamacare: Doubling down on the same thing and expecting something different.
I'm certainly no fastidious <apex> of [Health Care].
For you younglings> ask your parents<> how to triage those ETF's and 401ks'
I'm not picking up what you're laying down, YC.
Your're NOT picking up "rising health care costs"? You're Not picking up rising food costs?
Ohh, wait a second, you can afford to fill your Hyundai or Toyota to scam some gals.
Have you checked the birth rate lately? I'll parlay thoughts all day .
I'm not saying you're wrong. You're just normal.
I'ma take you up to glendale. I'ma take you for a real good meal.
Believe it or not?
I fly into Burbank on occasion. Thanks for the offer/
WhoCares.
We've listened to health care professionals and doctors on Z/H... They all seem to arrive at the same consensus?
Healthcare for Dummies
It will always be ObamaCare to me.
Gotta give the douchebag props.
When was Obamacare popular? It was the most hated law in the land. It was passed against massive protest from all parts of the country. Has everyone forgotten ' we have to pass the law to find out what's in it' and siimilar absurdities?
This law never had the support of country, only a tiny minority, and most of them stood to make money off it.
how about StupidVotersPreferredHealthCare??
How about "BIG GOVERNMENT MANDATORY CARE"
A Modest Proposal To Fix Obamacare:repeal it!
How bout Unaffordable Sodomization Authorization - USA for short. USA!! USA!! USA!!
lmfao! This guy gets it.
Don't clip my " luv muscle" bitchez.
Comment copyrighted by YenCross. Bitchez
If it's repealed it will need no name......
Down In Flames Finally.
DIFF
(as in Daddy what's the DIFF?)
Freedom Care
FascismCare.
"Billing you for killing you."
An American, not Us subject.
Lets call Zero care what it really is?
Slow Death care.
Re-Indoctrination care.
Zero ~Care = the men and women that fought for our country.
I donate MASSIVE amounts of funds and money to our veterans! Where in the HECK is ZERO?
It makes me sick to see that "community organizer" on my monitor, while I'm, managing the Japanese debacle.
Part-Time Employment Promotion Act
Anybody who has a magical formula to reduce healthcare prices (especially the biggest reason the procurement costs for everything) should email me. I would be able to contect you with VC guys who would give you $100M almost instantly as long as you had a credible business plan.
The crazy shit starts Sunday.
Point stands especially with all of the money following into Health IT and almost none of towards anything of real value or so niche that it won't make a dent in things.
This thread is becoming like a lot of ZH and just full of trolling and insults. I can read a Yahoo article comments section and get the same.
Well, go some where else and suck your thumb, Nancy.
We don't need you.
Oh yes, it's a great law. My wife's rate doubled. Her friend at a charity who has no money to speak of had her rates go down by 30%. But then I do have white privilege so I guess that's the price tag for medical services. Funny, I don't feel privileged. I feel totally ripped off!
Be careful you dont get yourself signed up for some re-education. Sounds like your white guilt is peeling. . .
Oh, sure Ms. S. It's working just fine. My policy went from under $500 a month to $1,040.00 a month. Coverage is not as good. It's working just fine, I guess just not for me. Call it whatever you like, it still is a massive wealth transfer program, and mostly to the government, as I read that millions are still not covered. What goes to the government stays with the government. The "Castle Keep Health Care Program". There's one you can try out.
nHow come Faggy little guys act like girls?
Just act like the (hairy)pussy silver digger you are?
Bitch I'm done with you're kind. You know xag is hot you fat bitch.
When a simple 15 minute office consultation (they may weigh you, take temp and blood pressure) is over $100 it isn't hard to realize the whole system is fucked.
How about
‘We Have to Pass the Bill to Find Out What’s In It’ Care"Something In The Future Different" isn't any better than "Obamacare." IMO.
''Pass it, then you can read it'' ...should be in jail with Bernie
SomeFolksCare
Hillery care?
Democrat CARE?
Didnt CARE enough to read it?
We dont CARE?
Pelousy CARE?
Squirlly care?
Bush did it!
Rainbow care?
Bunny rabbits and sunshine CARE?
Skittleshitting uniCARE?
BohnnerCare
1% cares
Call it "Parasite Care"
Personally.....I really liked "Ho & Bro-surance".
Was that not an effective marketing campaign?
Obama's care.
They double and triple down on the lie.
Cloward Piven Care
Obamacaresnot
My last day of work os 3/31 because of it
Fuck Obamacare
I propose we call a spade a spade, and call it what it truly is:
Obama's Tyrannycare
Sebelius: "Change the name and we can Gruber the stupid dumbshit American people all over again."
How about just calling it what it really is? "The Affordable Care Tax Act"
Health Care by Politics Act.
"Sorry, I see that you voted for the wrong person. Next..."
most admired?
YOU LIE!
Let's not forget; the Dum-Ass Loathsome Dick-Sucking Vermin who call themselves REPUBLICANS helped to Write, Fund and Implement OBOZZOCARE...
To be accurate, they didn't help write it. Not one voted for it, I believe. It was a 100% democrat law. Yes, they are funding it, which is a travesty.
"As everyone knows by now, and especially in the aftermath of the Jonathan Gruber revelations which have made it clear that every single proponent of the Affordable Care Act is, well, an idiot,..."
Finally the realization, like the sun rising over the horizon (lol), as to who Gruber was actually speaking about. He was talking about progressives.
And he was absolutely correct wasn't he? ;-)
can we start with the name of the act first to unfordable care
Fucked you again by mis-naming a tax bill didnt we care.
The Boston Globe has a story about some of Gruber's tone deaf co-conspirators wearing pins to show support for the jerk. Ms Nancy Turnbull is one of them. Here is her contact info:
Senior Lecturer on Health PolicyAssociate Dean for Professional Education Department of Health Policy and Management 677 Huntington Avenue Kresge Building 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02115 Phone: 617.432.4496
nturnbul@hsph.harvard.edu
Great idea.
I always wanted to visit Egypt.
Although, the "Special Redition" I heard can become rather unpleasant.
I suppose you could look at it as winning a free one-way ticket for a "Best letter to a Harvard Academic".
Health Care for Dummies