Last week, the AARP announced it needed to raise its employee rates for health insurance. Why? Oh yeah, because of health care reform.
Now, I'm sure I don't need to remind any of you that the venerable group threw its weight behind Obamacare early on. So it's somewhat ironic – poetic? – this legislation hits them where they live. I suppose we should take (cold) comfort in the fact that this law doesn't appear to discriminate between supporters and detractors.
But it hasn't shaken the organization's faith in the PPACA. According to AARP Legislative Policy Director David Certner, this is an incremental increase tied to rising health care costs.
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"We remain supportive of the health care law because it strengthens guaranteed Medicare benefits and ensures more older Americans not yet eligible for Medicare can get affordable health coverage," Certner asserted in a statement on the group's website.
Give them points for standing by their man.
At what point does all this support or attack on health care reform devolve into hyperbole? Do we blame Obama for everything that goes wrong with health care now? Whether he's responsible or not? And for all that it gets right, whom do we praise?
I only ask because I hear my admittedly conservative friends blame the president every time there's a jump in health care rates. But premiums were outpacing inflation for years before he took office.
I guess my point is, sure, this law is a mess. But it's not like out health care system hadn't run off the rails already, anyway.
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