"OBAMACARE" MOVES FORWARD...AND HEALTHCARE.GOV IMPROVES...DESPITE THE BELLYACHING AND COMPLAINTS FROM REPUBLICANS

     It's Sunday, December 1st, 2013 - one day after the Obama Administration's self-imposed November 30th deadline - and there is significant progress to HealthCare.gov.  After a rocky start to the federal healthcare exchange website...officials at The White House say that the on-line insurance marketplace - for "ObamaCare" - is now functioning "smoothly" for the "vast majority" - 80 percent of American consumers - who are seeking to purchase health insurance via the Internet.  And the team of experts who have worked diligently to improve HealthCare.gov say the website can handle 50,000 individuals simultaneously...and that 800,000 people can visit and access the site daily.  Still...there may be some troubles along the way including unscheduled outages...but only 5 percent of the time...and during high-traffic periods.  Also, there may be a few slow-downs... but that can happen to any Internet website.  Be that as it may... HealthCare.gov has improved over the last two months...and with anything technical...with any technology...any computer website...tweaking is done on a monthly - if not weekly - or even daily basis.  There's progress happening all of the time.  And since the launch of HealthCare.gov on October 1st, 2013...hundreds and hundreds of software bugs and hardware problems have been repaired.  The bottom line is that substantial upgrades... enhancements and improvements have been made...and the Affordable Care Act is on its way to being the huge success that it was created and designed to be.

     So why then are Republicans still making a stink over the website...and ObamaCare overall?  Republicans continue to bash President Obama and his signature piece of legislation - the Affordable Care Act - when the reality is that a tremendous amount of Americans - 30, 40 or 50-million people - will be able to obtain health insurance...who never had insurance before...who were never able to afford health insurance...and who were turned down when applying for insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

     It is true that a small percent of Americans - a tiny fraction of the population - will lose their current policies...but because of the Affordable Care Act...those individuals...who do receive cancellation notices...will be able to get better health insurance plans with "ObamaCare"...in the HealthCare.gov marketplace...or in the state exchanges.

     Furthermore...the proof of the pudding is...that many of the same people who do get letters of cancellation from their current health insurance companies...were - in the past - losing their healthcare annually - each and every year.  So NOW... the Affordable Care Act is going to make it better for those individuals...and "ObamaCare" will fix it so that those Americans will not be affected in such a fashion anymore.

     Yet certain conservative Republicans - who are apparently out to destroy President Obama and "ObamaCare"...and who do not care about helping Americans who do not have health insurance...are spewing venomous lies that "80-million people are going to get pink slips" from their health insurance companies.  This simply is NOT true.  

     As for higher costs - as Republicans want Americans to think - there are subsidies - many, many hundreds of billions of dollars (if not more) - in the marketplace overall...that will give money to those individuals...to reduce the price tag of their health insurance...and the premiums will be much, much lower than the Republicans want everyone to believe.  Plus...there is competition within the exchanges themselves...that will also keep the costs down.  So...the fact of the matter is...that people are going to get better healthcare plans...for less money...instead of terrible policies...where they pay with their hard-earned income...and don't receive plans that will actually help them.  Instead...now...their health insurance will benefit them.

     The Republicans want "ObamaCare" to solely be a political fight...and an unending debate...and therefore...not a way to help Americans who need health insurance.   Besides helping the poor...the sick...the young...and the elderly - not to mention so many other categories of people - the Affordable Care Act helps the average person - who quite frankly - does not understand the "fine print" of insurance policies.  The Affordable Care Act will protect those who have been discriminated in the past.

     There is no doubt that the rollout of HealthCare.gov should have been better...and President Obama has recognized and acknowledged that.  But instead of Republicans bellyaching...and complaining...and making "ObamaCare" a political issue...everyone - Democrats and Republicans... liberals and conservatives...and all Independents - should stand together... jointly...in tandem...so that every single American...has affordable healthcare. That's what the Affordable Care Act was intended to do.  That's what "ObamaCare"...WILL DO.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

     "We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions.  Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.  

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