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Ron Paul: Obamacare’s Best Friends …

… ARE “REPUBLICANS” AND THE COURTS || By RON PAUL || By ruling for the government in the case of King v. Burwell, the Supreme Court once again tied itself into rhetorical and logical knots to defend Obamacare.  In King, the court disregarded Obamacare’s clear language regarding eligibility for federal…

… ARE “REPUBLICANS” AND THE COURTS

ron paul|| By RON PAUL || By ruling for the government in the case of King v. Burwell, the Supreme Court once again tied itself into rhetorical and logical knots to defend Obamacare.  In King, the court disregarded Obamacare’s clear language regarding eligibility for federal health care subsides, on the grounds that enforcing the statute as written would cause havoc in the marketplace.  The court found that Congress could not have intended this result and that the court needed to uphold Congress’s mythical intention and ignore Obamacare’s actual language.

While Obamacare may be safe from court challenges, its future is far from assured.  As Obamacare forces more Americans to pay higher insurance premiums while causing others to lose their insurance or lose access to the physicians of their choice, opposition to Obamacare will grow.  Additional Americans will turn against Obamacare as their employers reduce their hours, along with their paychecks, because of Obamacare’s mandates.

As dissatisfaction with Obamacare grows, there will be renewed efforts to pass a single-payer health care system.  Single-payer advocates will point to Obamacare’s corporatist features as being responsible for its failures and claim the only solution is to get the private sector completely out of health care.

Unfortunately, many Republicans will inadvertently aid the single-payer advocates by failing to acknowledge that Obamacare is not socialist but corporatist, and that that the pre-Obamacare health care system was hobbled by government intervention.  In fact, popular support for Obamacare was rooted in the desire to address problems created by prior government interference in the health care marketplace.

Republicans also help the cause of socialized medicine by pretending that Obamacare can be fixed with minor reforms.  These Republicans do not understand that replacing Obamacare with “Obamacare Lite” will still leave millions of Americans with inadequate access to quality health care, and could strengthen the movement for a single-payer system.

Republicans’ failure to advocate for a free-market health care system is not just rooted in intellectual error and political cowardice.  The insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the other special interests that benefit from a large government role in health care are just as — or perhaps even more — influential in the Republican Party as in the Democratic Party.  The influence of these interests is one reason why, despite their free-market rhetoric, Republicans have a long history of expanding the government’s role in health care.

Those who think a Republican president and Congress will enact free-market health care should consider that the last time Republicans controlled Congress and the White House their signature health care achievement was to expand federal health care spending and entitlements.  Furthermore, Richard Nixon worked with Ted Kennedy to force all health care plans to offer a health maintenance organization (HMO).  Even Obamacare’s individual mandate originated in a conservative think tank and was first signed into law by a Republican governor.

Instead of Obamacare Lite, Congress should support giving individuals direct control over their health care dollars through individual health care tax credits and expanded access to health savings accounts.  Other reforms like long-term group insurance could ensure that those with “pre-existing conditions” have access to care.  Another good reform is negative outcomes insurance that could help resolve the medical malpractice crisis.

America’s health care system is just as unsustainable as our foreign policy and our monetary system.  At some point, the financial and human costs of Obamacare will prove overwhelming and Congress will be forced to replace this system.  Hopefully, before this happens, a critical mass of people will convince Congress to replace Obamacare with a truly free-market health care system.

Ron Paul is a former U.S. Congressman from Texas and the leader of the pro-liberty, pro-free market movement in the United States. His weekly column – reprinted with permission – can be found here.

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18 comments

DeltaFOX June 28, 2015 at 8:56 pm

More and more and more there’s so much the guberment shouldn”t do, She lies and she Sleeps while the poor wake up and don’t understand. music lol

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Sybil June 28, 2015 at 9:29 pm

Ron Paul can be a bit …uh…wacky in some cases. I agree with him here:

“Republicans’ failure to advocate for a free-market health care system is not just rooted in intellectual error and political cowardice. The insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the other special interests that benefit from a large government role in health care are just as — or perhaps even more — influential in the Republican Party as in the Democratic Party. The influence of these interests is one reason why, despite their free-market rhetoric, Republicans have a long history of expanding the government’s role in health care.”

What he leaves out is a balance of power. Yes, when ANY party predominantly rules, bad things happen. A balance of power is preferred.

As I look to next election, I am looking for a balance.

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Sybil June 28, 2015 at 9:17 pm

By the time we realize all the problems with Obamacare, The People will have accepted it as the norm. It’s similar to Olfactory fatigue — adaptation.

While The People are adapting the Republicans have yet to offer a realistic plan. The healthcare system had problems before Obama. Republicans offer no real plan.

Remember eugenics? Maybe a stretch, but I am not an advocate of government controlled healthcare. What could possibly go wrong?

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Ron Paul's Supporters June 29, 2015 at 8:26 am

Judging from the number of racists in Ron Paul’s camp, I would imagine a lot of them would see no problem with eugenics, if it were “properly applied” at least.

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FastEddy23 June 29, 2015 at 9:48 am

There is only one acceptable plan: Kill ObamaCare. Drive a collective stake through those vampires hearts.

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guest June 28, 2015 at 9:43 pm

Next election has been decided. SCOTUS gay marriage decision has put the nation in shock.Fuck ANY poll.EVERY vote in states has tried to protect traditional marriage-INCLUDING CaliRussiaMexico.Gays have kinda been like the crazy uncle.Tolerate.Accept.

Nobody can believe this.Democrat Party is finished. Republican President.Obamacare is finished.

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Bigots Gone Wild! June 28, 2015 at 9:48 pm

Ahahaha! Keep on losing, Pogo!

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Republicans Lose Again June 29, 2015 at 8:25 am

He’s a slow learner and a poor loser, but so are most Republicans.

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Rocky June 28, 2015 at 10:16 pm

Go back in your hole. Let’s assume for one minute the GOP wins in 2016. What do you think President Bush and VP Rubio are going to do about Obamacare. I’ll tell you what – nothing, not a dang thing. Touching insurance is a loser. They don’t have a better plan, they can’t improve it and they won’t risk losing the house in 2018 by messing with peoples insurance. You’ll get continued Obamacare and Amnesty and you’ll like it. That’s what you’ll get from Jeb and Marco – and there ain’t nobody, not one single other candidate, other than Jeb, who will win the nomination. So just accept it, it will make it easier for you.

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Tossin' Off Jones June 28, 2015 at 10:44 pm

Rocky, he said way back when June comes: No Obamacare, no gay marriage…now he done gone actin’ like the Bubba’s of the USA are electing Santorum or other asshat and all the bad will be damned in a pit in hell.

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lulz June 29, 2015 at 8:28 am

Well he’s run out of wrong predictions, so he had to make more wrong predictions.

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Fuck Pogo June 29, 2015 at 8:24 am

Fuck polls? Ha ha, that’s great! Ignore facts, that’s the Republican thing to do! Gay marriage is more and more accepted and the Republicans will die on that hill should they choose to make it their stand.

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Wrong Paul June 29, 2015 at 8:22 am

6 out of 9 Supreme Court justices agree, Ron Paul has no fucking clue what he’s talking about.

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FastEddy23 June 29, 2015 at 9:50 am

And you do? LOL!

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SlowEddy June 29, 2015 at 9:55 am

Moreso than you.

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The Colonel June 29, 2015 at 9:12 am

Once again proving the “blind squirrel/nut” axiom, Paul correctly points out that the only people helped by SCOTUCARE are the insurers and big business.

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FastEddy23 June 29, 2015 at 9:39 am

So, when both corporatists, quasi-socialists and “progressive” Fascists are joining to cast BummerCare into solid tax stone, it is really just Gruberment covering it’s collective asses for bureaucratic screw ups. … Got it!

Reply

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