Obamacare on the ropes, not quite something to cheer about

Obamacare’s obsessed opponents are taking delight in delays in implementation showing up in the last six months and are salivating over the possibility that confusion will rein when the exchanges are operational. Some ill-informed, I’ll even say ignorant people, continue to spread rumors and misinformation. This is shortsighted.

This is a massive law that few people understand. This is a law attempting to accomplish many different things all at once. It is also a law facing opposition at every turn from some states, the health care industry and of course politicians.

Obamacare is also burdened by over promising and the constant barrage of pronouncements from the Secretary of Health and Human Services claiming savings and other accomplishments that have not materialized or have not yet stood the test of time.

Nevertheless, with all its faults, it is the law of the land. It would be far more constructive to focus on fixing what needs to be fixed rather than simple opposition, especially given no viable alternative has been proposed ( I dismiss the notion that simply turning Americans loose on a free market health insurance system is a solution to anything).

At this point the number Americans newly covered by health insurance will be considerably less than originally projected. Costs will not be reduced as promised and as things stand little has actually changed to improve quality, while costs for the federal government will be more than projected.

This all leaves us with the prospect of several more years of growing costs, millions of Americans without health insurance, a highly inefficient health care system and often questionable quality and outcomes. Rooting for failure of an honest but overly ambitious and flawed effort, does not help matters, but rather merely extends the time before we will find a truly viable solution by facing the realities we strive to ignore.