In a move I'm sure none of us ever saw coming, Bloomberg News is reporting that the Obama administration will push back next year's federal enrollment period until after the November elections.
In effect, to avoid Obamacare emerging as an election issue for fellow Democrats next year, the president wants to simply brush it under the rug — or ballot box — so voters won't be bothered by such pesky bad news.
What was once this president's New Deal has collapsed into his Deal Breaker. His legacy is now his scandal, turning Omaha Beach into Waterloo. Barring some miraculous Mideast peace deal, this law — and all its warts — will be what history remembers him for. He might as well embrace it now.
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This latest delay comes on the heels of emails surfacing from the tech heads warning administration officials that there would be major problems with HealthCare.gov at launch. Of course, these emails were either ignored on purpose, dismissed as alarmist or maybe just got caught in Kathleen Sebelius' spam filter. Who knows, but it reeks of another Downing Street memo. Or at least it should, but if you turn on CNN or MSNBC right now, I doubt you'll find anyone talking about it.
Maybe the media doesn't talk about these things because they're too complicated, or simply not sexy enough. I have no idea.
Republicans need to jump on these issues early and often after the holidays, and make sure voters know who to hold responsible at the polls next year. The beauty — or tragedy — of this, of course, is that this is an ongoing story. It won't be something that gets lost in our 24-hour news culture because the enrollment will be live another three months — before starting up again later next year.
(And if you think we've seen the last of delays, rule changes or technical difficulties, you're as deluded as the voters who thought they were getting free insurance.)
But this is an issue that goes far beyond next November. I have little doubt it will emerge as a huge campaign issue in 2016. Played right, the Republicans can hang this albatross around Hillary's neck. Or, better yet, Elizabeth Warren's.
(Oh, you didn't see her coming? I do. Remember, it wasn't so long ago that Hillary was the presumptive nominee before some unknown senator swooped in from the farther left and stole the show. I could definitely see the Democratic party making another hard left turn and embracing Warren, who will — I guarantee you — take Obamacare to the next level. Mark my words.)
But even more critically, the Republicans absolutely have to run a more moderate candidate. And, yes, my early vote goes to Chris Christie, in a heartbeat. I'd say Jeb Bush, too, but I think he missed his chance. But if the Republicans run a Tea Party favorite, all bets are off.
Long story short, the next few elections are crucial to guiding the evolution of this legislation. It's not going away, period. So we need to make the fight about how we shape it going forward to not only address the needs of the uninsured, but to get some kind of handle on costs and maintain a strong free market presence.
It's clear the president's "concern" for what works for everybody is a sham. His only concern is for his party. The Republicans have a golden opportunity to rise above that and offer a real alternative. I'd hate to see them blow that, which would put us all out of business. Because another Democratic administration would do just that.
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