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PRESIDENT OBAMA SHOULD NOT BUDGE

Oct 05, 2013 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Obamacare is highly flawed. It is one of the worst pieces of legislation that has ever been passed in the US Congress.
Yet, it has been presented as allowing affordable health care for all, including those who were previously unable to enjoy medical insurance in the past but would now under the Affordable Care act be able to do so.
The truth is that those persons may now be entitled to medical insurance but will they be able to afford it. One of the underpublicized criticisms of Obamacare is that it will deliver a windfall to the insurance companies by guaranteeing to them a larger premium base, regardless of who has to pay the premiums and the prohibitive cost for even the most basic of plans.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will present young people in particular with serious financial burdens by having to take out medical insurance at a time when they may not need it.
Businesses are already finding ingenious ways to avoid the financial burden of this obnoxious piece of legislation even though they have until 2015 to fully comply. And it is the workers that are feeling the pain. Businesses are circumventing the regulations to provide health care protection to their workers by employing their employees as part time.
This goes beyond medical instance and affects the stability of incomes in many families and thus their capacity to even borrow from the banks in view of the fact that they only have part time jobs.
In the end, the insurance companies will benefit from a tremendous fiscal burden being placed on the Treasury as persons such as former Budget Director, David Stockman and others have been suggesting.
Despite it being irredeemably flawed and in need of revision, the way that Congress has gone about doing this is totally unacceptable in any democratic society much less one that boasts about being the world’s foremost democracy.
Obamacare is the law of the land. It was successfully piloted through the two houses of Congress in 2012 and was given assent by the President. Its constitutionality was challenged and the challenge was dismissed. It is therefore the law of the United States of America.
Its revision should not be forced by holding the American government hostage to a shutdown. It is unethical and unprincipled for Congress to use the issue of funding the federal Budget to force changes to the legislation. That is totally unacceptable and President Obama is right in refusing to be held hostage to what is being done in Congress.
The Republicans continue to insist that the President is not willing to negotiate. There is nothing to negotiate. Congress has an obligation to accept a law that was passed in both houses three years ago.
If Congress wishes to amend the law, it is well within its powers to do so but it will have to go through the normal legislative process by seeking consensus on a new plan. The president has the option, even if that plan is passed, of vetoing such a plan but this veto can be overturned by a specified majority within Congress.
The problem is that Congress is taking a shortcut to a measure that goes to the heart of its democracy. Instead of tabling its own medicare bills, Congress is attempting to hijack an existing law by starving the federal government of resources.
If the President gives in to this type of conduct, he might as well forfeit his presidency because he will become a political football to be kicked around by Congress. He should stick to his guns and refuse to budge on reforming Obamacare.

 

 

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