Obamacare vs. Hot Air

As the November elections loom, the Elephant Party is looking to stoke the anger of their loyal rabble-rousers in an effort to take back Congress. Target #1: Obamacare. The health care overhaul passed by the Democrats this year, notably the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has drawn the ire of conservatives nationwide for its expansion of the role of government and its alleged high price tag.

GOP legislators have introduced several bills aimed at repealing the landmark legislation, most recently Senator Orrin Hatch's (R-Utah) strategically-named American Liberty Restoration Act. Apparently, expanding medical coverage to millions of Americans, setting up insurance exchanges to increase competition, and preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions amounts to robbing Americans of their liberty in the world of Orrin Hatch. Then again, I imagine that anyone named Orrin lives in a world that closely resembles a cross between "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" and "Pan's Labyrinth." So he may be tapped into something that I just don't understand.

Complaints like those of Republican Indiana governor Mitch Daniels that the mandated expansion of Medicaid coverage will cost the Hoosier State approximately $1 billion this decade both ignore the facts and only focus on one side of the issue. The Urban Institute, an independent think-tank, estimates Indiana's Medicaid bill to be as low as half of the governor's estimate. Moreover, an estimated $8.5-10.1 billion in federal funding will be made available to assist in funding health coverage for Indiana's poor thus painting a very different picture than that scribbled by Governor Daniels.

For all the griping about the costs of Obamacare, there is nary a mention of the potential benefits by the right side of the aisle. The skyrocketing costs of health care have forced those without insurance to foreclose on their homes, file for bankruptcy, or sell their limited edition copy of Steven Seagal's debut album Songs from the Crystal Cave. Moreover, individuals with insurance coverage are much more likely to receive preventive treatment thus reducing the number of emergency room visits, mitigating the number of employer-paid sick days, and increasing the likelihood of living long enough to see the eagerly anticipated "Dunston Checks In 2: The Ape of Innocence."

Before anymore Republicans bad-mouth Obamacare, I recommend they take a drive out to a forest, throw Songs from the Crystal Cave in their Walkman, take a stroll, and think about what's important in life. The answer is: orangutan movies.