Rueful relief on Obamacare
by digby
This quote, via Jared Bernstein, tells an interesting story:
“Atlanta resident Ted Souris, 62, describes himself as an “arch-conservative” who initially opposed the health law. He said hehad mixed feelings about the ruling. He receives what he calls “a pretty hefty subsidy” to buy insurance — he gets $460 and pays $115 a month for insurance.
“I’m so against Obama, and I hate that he has any kind of victory,” Souris said, “but it’s nice that I don’t have to worry” about affording health coverage.
He said that he doesn’t like getting what he calls “a government handout” but that the law — and the subsidy — allowed him to retire early and still have coverage. “I am glad I have the Affordable Care Act, and I appreciate that I got the subsidy.””
This is why Social Security must stay universal and why health insurance should be universal also. Some people simply will not support something from which they do not personally benefit. Indeed, I would guess that this person would actively oppose Obamacare if he didn’t.
Conservatives tend to have problems with empathy and imagination. (That’s one reason they are conservatives.) So, they can’t care about the troubles of other people and can’t imagine that they might someday be in need of the help they are denying others. It’s only when they are personally faced with a problem that government is needed to help solve that they will support it.
Still, I’m sure it took a lot for that guy to admit that he needed government help so that he could retire early. Bravo for him. At some point virtually everyone will know someone or will be someone who takes advantage of Obamacare subsidies. That’s when Republicans will argue for the government to keep it’s hands off their Obamacare.
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