Category Archives: Health Care

Jimmy Kimmel thinks talking points sent to media are threats to democracy (UNLESS….)

Sinclair Broadcasting sent word to all their stations to make sure to air statements acknowledging there’s so-called “fake news” out there, and to make clear they’re not taking part in the pushing of any particular narrative. The result was a whole bunch of local news readers reciting the same script:

Having worked in local TV for over 20 years, such corporate edicts from any broadcast ownership aren’t necessarily a rarity, but this one had a particularly higher profile because it involved on-air statements. In any case, Jimmy Kimmel found it very disturbing:

Dude, just stop!

I guess people on TV being given a script presents a threat to democracy, unless it’s Jimmy Kimmel being told what to say to the entire country on ABC:

In other words, it’s NOT damaging to the nation when Kimmel goes on national TV and parrots a narrative written and sent to him by partisan liberal politicians:

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel consulted with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office on details surrounding the health-care debate, The Daily Beast reported Friday.

Schumer’s office “provided technical guidance and info about the bill, as well as stats from various think tanks and experts on the effects of” the legislation, a source told the outlet.

Kimmel launched a series of attacks this week on the Senate GOP’s latest ObamaCare repeal and replace measure, sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

Schumer and the late-night comedian were reportedly in touch over the past several months, and the New York Democrat encouraged Kimmel to speak out against the legislation.

But a station owner sends talking points to its affiliates and suddenly it’s a grave threat to the Republic? Maybe Chuck Schumer told Kimmel to say all that.

Outcome of Supreme Court’s ruling on ACA best summed up by these millennial pro-Obamacare interpretive dancers

I wrote a bit about the SCOTUS ruling on Obamacare subsidies here, but you can tell what the Court ruled based only on the reaction from these Hope & Change-bots:

That was an interpretive dance titled “A Midsummer Night’s Premium Increase for Mom and Dad.”

Could this WaPo poll question about Obamacare be any more leading?

A Washington Post/ABC News poll found that a majority of those questioned do not want the Supreme Court to block subsidies to states that didn’t set up their own Obamacare exchanges (the case is King v. Burwell).

Check out how the question was framed:

polling


In other words, “Do you want poor kids to die, or do you not care?” That poll question must have been written by Alan Grayson.

‘Blame Republicans for the Obamacare train wreck’ effort continues, with the GOP’s help in some cases

A couple days ago The Hill provided a hint as to what the “blame the GOP for a law NONE of them voted to pass” movement will look like heading into next year’s election.

Next up, HuffPo:

This criticism, while stupid and pitiful, isn’t entirely unjustified. Instead of telling Democrats to go f*#k themselves nuts deep when it comes to helping repair anything connected to Obamacare, some in the GOP have insisted on putting Republican fingerprints on the law, which is beyond stupid — regardless of the upcoming SCOTUS decision on King v. Burwell.

The Dems passed a shitty law, so let them bear the entire burden of the consequences of the illegalities courts agree it contains. By insisting on helping to “fix” Obamacare the Republicans are torching their best arguments/examples for full repeal.

Obamacare’s in its ‘meltdown’ phase — time for media to blame the party with zero members who voted for its passage

This is an angle we’ll be seeing more and more as we get into peak election season next year:

In other words, Republicans think Obamacare is a crappy law — and if the Supreme Court agrees on this latest challenge, it’s up to Republicans to figure out how to make the crappy law still work:

Republicans have spent months pitching ideas on how to limit the potential fallout from next month’s Supreme Court decision that could wipe out ObamaCare insurance subsidies in at least 34 states.

But so far, none of their proposals are likely to stave off the massive disruption of the healthcare marketplace that would result from a ruling against the Obama administration, according to a new report by the American Academy of Actuaries.

Next year’s headlines: “Obamacare would have been awesome if Republicans would have saved it!” This is like blaming Mary Jo Kopechne for Chappaquiddick because she didn’t insist on taking the wheel before they got to the bridge.

Figures: Dem who voted to pass Obamacare calls it ‘deceptive’ and wants to lead charge to ‘fix’ the law

The Associated Press actually managed to report that the Affordable Care Act isn’t “affordable” and doesn’t even have much “care” without calling out the Dems who voted for it who now want to lead the charge to “fix” the law (read: throw a ton more money at it).

Rep. McDermott, who voted to pass the ACA, even admits that it’s deceptive:

After paying premiums, many low- and middle-income patients still face high costs when trying to use their coverage. There’s growing concern that the value of a health insurance card is being eaten away by rising deductibles, the amount of actual medical costs that patients pay each year before coverage kicks in.

“I think it’s going to be the next big problem,” said Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., a congressional leader on health care.

“We’ve got some 17 million more people covered … but they can’t access the care they seem to be entitled to,” McDermott said. “It costs too much to use the care. That’s the deceptive part about it.”

Since virtually all U.S. residents are now required to have health insurance by President Barack Obama’s health care law, McDermott said Democrats have a responsibility to make sure coverage translates to meaningful benefits.

Short version: The Obamacare law doesn’t do any of what it was ostensibly supposed to do, so now we’ll have to throw another trillion dollars at it to make the law “work.” And by all means, let’s allow those who deceived us once to spend billions more to deceive us again (those paying attention weren’t deceived the first time but were unfortunately outnumbered by morons).

If this isn’t the best argument for full repeal, nothing is. Too bad the Associated Press reported it all with a straight face without pointing out the Jupiter-sized irony of it all.

Hawaii’s Obamacare exchange sinks and takes over $200 million of taxpayer money down with it

The Obamacare “train wreck” has turned into a ship wreck. Hawaii’s federal exchange sinking is just the latest example:

I want to see itemized expense listings for where that money went, because there are most likely people getting incredibly wealthy off this sham.

Speaking of shams… this is obligatory: