From the Thursday edition of the Morning Jolt:
Obamacare’s Never-Ending Dance of Delays
How the Obamacare discussion has progressed, in short-play form:
Congressional Republicans: Obamacare’s new rules are eliminating plans that people like.
President Obama: That’s not true. We said, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”
People: Hey, our insurance plan just got canceled!
President Obama: “I am sorry that [you] are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances [you] got from me.”
Congressional Republicans: You have to repeal the law. The law is what’s causing these plan cancellations.
President Obama: No, it isn’t. And no, we don’t have to repeal it. We’re not going back.
Congressional Democrats: Yeah, what he said. It’s. The. Law. We’re not going back. We’re all united behind Obamacare as is it currently written!
Red State Democrats: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s all this “we” stuff?
President Obama: Besides, this only impacts a very small number of people on the individual market.
Congressional Republicans: That’s several million people. The whole point of this thing was to cover the uninsured, and your law, passed without any of our votes, is creating more uninsured.
[Red State Democrats attempt to quietly slink out of the room]
President Obama: This is not a big problem.
[The people get angrier.]
President Obama: Okay, fine. I’m reinstating the old plans for a year.
Insurance companies: What, do you think we have these things hooked up to light switches? We can’t just flick them back on.
State Insurance Commissioners: Ahem, Mr. President, I think you’ll need our approval for this.
President Obama: Okay. If you liked your old plan, and if the insurance companies decide to offer it again, and if the state insurance commissioner signs off, you can keep your old plan.
People: Gee, thanks a heap, champ.
Congressional Republicans: The employer mandate isn’t going to work!
President Obama: Yes, it will! Yes, we can!
Congressional Democrats: They’re just nay-saying because they’re bitter, and hate the president, and they want sick people to die quickly.
(looks around)
Hey, where did the Red State Democrats go?
[The deadline for the employer mandate gets closer.]
Business community: These rules are unworkable.
President Obama: Due to unforeseen problems no one saw coming, I have instructed Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to delay the employer mandate until after the midterm elections.
Congressional Republicans: What do you mean, unforeseen? We told you it isn’t going to work! And you don’t have the authority to just unilaterally decide some parts of the law are delayed!
President Obama: Yes, I do. Yes, we can!
Congressional Democrats: Why are you complaining about him doing this? You were the ones complaining about the employer mandate before.
Congressional Republicans: The delay doesn’t change much. The employer mandate still isn’t going to work!
President Obama: Yes, it will! Yes, we can!
[Time passes.]
Business community: These rules are still unworkable. All you’ve done is give us more time to deal with a set of rules that make things more complicated and more expensive, and create perverse incentives to eliminate our existing coverage for employees, pay the fines instead, and tell our employees to buy insurance on the exchanges.
President Obama: Due to unforeseen problems no one saw coming, I have instructed Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to delay the employer mandate until 2016.
Congressional Republicans: Here we go again.
Congressional Democrats: What are you complaining about? He’s giving you what you wanted!
(looking around)
And where the heck did our red-state guys go?
Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.V.): “There’s bipartisan support for legislation postponing the implementation of the entirety of the Affordable Care Act until 2015.”