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sheshe2

(83,653 posts)
Tue Sep 10, 2013, 01:25 AM Sep 2013

Why Obamacare? It's A Badge of honor



From the explicit mention in the Democratic platform of the Affordable Care Act to the embrace of the term “Obamacare,” Democrats started off their 2012 Convention by praising health reform not burying it. In contrast to the Republicans, who mentioned it only in terms of opposition to the President, Democrats proudly and loudly touted the benefits of Obamacare in the first night of their convention.

If there was any doubt about whether or not Democrats would embrace the signature achievement of Obama’s first term, that doubt was laid to rest in a series of strong speeches of support. A fiery Nancy Keenan of NARAL described the threats to women’s health from a Romney Administration. Stacey Lihn, a woman whose baby daughter had been born with a severe heart defect, brought the Convention to tears with her story of how her baby’s surgeries had exhausted half of her lifetime benefit in her first year of life, but thanks to Obamacare, and the ban on lifetime limits, they could now afford the third surgery the baby needs to survive. Hard to make up stories like that.


HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebilius

The current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius hit hard on what Obamacare does for women, how it will protect Medicare and called it a “badge of honor.” Other speakers such as the current Mayor of Chicago and former Obama Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel, reminded the Convention of how tough it was politically for Obama to put his Presidency on the line for health care. Appealing to the youth vote, actor Kal Penn of “Harold and Kumar” fame, thanked Obama for giving his generation access to affordable health care and exhorted the audience to affirm a four letter word: VOTE.

http://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2012/09/05/democrats-fall-in-love-with-obamacare-just-in-time/
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why Obamacare? It's A Badge of honor (Original Post) sheshe2 Sep 2013 OP
K&R Tarheel_Dem Sep 2013 #1
the end of employers owning you greymattermom Sep 2013 #2
KnR to the BOG Hekate Sep 2013 #3
Those of us who have good health SheilaT Sep 2013 #4
Amen to that. IrishAyes Sep 2013 #7
Ohhh, Big Heart Cha Sep 2013 #5
Kicking for Cha Sep 2013 #6
.. Cha Sep 2013 #8
Almost here! Cha Sep 2013 #9
I love that link, Cha! sheshe2 Sep 2013 #10
Early you~ Cha Sep 2013 #11

greymattermom

(5,751 posts)
2. the end of employers owning you
Tue Sep 10, 2013, 02:45 AM
Sep 2013

I think this is the beginning of the end of employers owning us. The next step is to make health care payments on the exchanges tax deductible. Then, all jobs will be 30 hours a week and folks will be poorer in dollars but richer in time, or work more than one of these jobs. Companies will eventually have a hard time finding workers, so wages will go up some. We'll stop buying cheap Chinese stuff and live with less. Maybe we'll even have communities and help each other again.

 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
4. Those of us who have good health
Tue Sep 10, 2013, 03:14 AM
Sep 2013

(and I'm annoyingly healthy) and those of us whose children are also healthy (don't ask) have no clue what it is like to have chronic health problems, or to have a child with severe health issues.

It has long been my belief that if there is any meaning to life (and I do believe there is a meaning) then the underlying foundation is that we are here to help each other.

My good health does NOT mean I can look in scorn upon those less healthy. It means I need to appreciate my good fortune. So WHAT if I wind up "paying" for someone else's needs. Big deal. I get to go through life easily, not in pain, not restricted in my movements. I probably have no clue exactly how wonderful that is.

Honestly, if I actually had a wish that could be granted, it would be that everyone would at a minimum have as good health as I do. Okay, so that would put a lot of doctors out of business, but then we could afford to train them all for something else.

IrishAyes

(6,151 posts)
7. Amen to that.
Sat Sep 14, 2013, 04:06 PM
Sep 2013

And the most of the doctors would love that scenario too. Like you I've always enjoyed good health overall, regardless of the occasional mishap. Although I tried to appreciate other girls' predicament, I couldn't even relate fully to monthly cramps because I never had them. No zits. I've probably had less than a dozen headaches my entire life, and those were minor, cured with a single aspirin. Etc. But that doesn't make me a better person or more loved by God. I was given the strength and stamina to help others as well as myself.

For years in healthcare I watched over terminal patients and appreciated the privilege of being with them when they passed. They did far more for me than I ever could have for them. My own soul has been granted a level of peace I could've gained no other way. What I've seen and heard would defy the belief of many people.

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