Only in America, as Don King might say. On Monday, Senator Cruz announced his
candidacy for President. However, a
funny thing happened on the way to a Ted Cruz Presidency. Heidi Cruz, the Senator’s wife has taken
unpaid sick leave for the duration of her husband’s Presidential campaign. As a result, she will not receive company
benefits, including health insurance, during this period.
Cruz has
previously said he gets his insurance coverage via Mrs.
Cruz’s plan, boasting about not needing to receive government health care
benefits. Oops!
I must pause for a moment to make a small but
key observation. The attitude
demonstrated by individuals whom, based upon their comments and actions, seem
to harbor distaste for government and government services, yet spend anywhere
from thousands to millions of dollars to get elected to government offices display
a deep conflict at best, and possibly are afflicted with cognitive
dissonance. The Senator’s comments reflect
that type of disconnect.
Senator Cruz has made a fair amount of
political hay opposing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as
Obamacare. He indicated to Dana Bash of
CNN yesterday that he will sign up for health care coverage through the ACA. Given his efforts to kill the program, which
he says he’s still committed to do if he becomes President, there is an acute
irony that he now finds himself about to acquire coverage under the program.
In his own words, he said, "We'll be getting new health
insurance and we'll presumably do it through my job with the Senate, and so
we'll be on the federal exchange with millions of others on the federal
exchange." Somewhere in Washington,
I can imagine President Obama flashing a Cheshire cat grin. Frankly, it’s hard to blame him.
Even as the
Senator prepares to get Obamacare, he continues to rail that Obamacare has
decimated the private health insurance market.
As he put it, "What is problematic about Obamacare is that it is
killing millions of jobs in this country and has killed millions of jobs, it
has forced millions of people into part time work. It has caused millions of people to lose their
insurance, to lose their doctors and to face skyrocketing insurance premiums.
That is unacceptable."
Of course,
that’s the Senator’s story. We
understand that over the course of the Obama Presidency, the economic and
employment picture in this county has rebounded significantly in virtually
every measurable metric. But what about health
care, specifically?
Good question;
I’m glad I asked it. The Congressional
Budget Office has monitored the effects of the ACA, and finds that the program
has lowered healthcare costs even more than initially projected, and that it
has slowed the rate health care inflation rates. Whitehouse.gov released a report that shows:
·
Health
care spending growth is the lowest on record
·
Health
care price inflation is the lowest in 50 years
·
Recent
slow growth in health care spending has substantially improved the long-term
Federal budget outlook
·
The
slowdown in health care costs is more than just an artifact of the 2007-2009
recession
o
The
slowdown appears to reflect “structural” changes in the United States health
care system, a conclusion consistent with a substantial body of recent research.
o
The
ACA is contributing to the recent slow growth in health care prices and
spending and is improving the quality of care.
o
New
economic research shows that the ACA’s Medicare reforms are likely to reduce
health care spending and improve quality system-wide.
o
Accounting
for “spillovers” implies that the ACA’s effect on health care price inflation
may be even larger than previously understood.
o
In
the short run, slower growth in health spending is a positive for employment.
o
Over
the long run, slower growth in health spending translates directly into higher
wages and living standards.
o
CBO
estimates that the ACA will substantially reduce long-term deficits.
In the real
world, there is a familiar idiomatic expression, “What goes around, comes
around.” It’s fair to say, at least for
the moment, we live in a world where we get to contemplate this reality…“Ted Cruz: Facing The Bane and The Benefit of Obamacare!” Who woulda thunk it?
I’m done; holla back!
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