There is no doubt that the start for the Affordable Care Act has been a mess, mechanically and politically. Going into the interview with Nancy Pelosi, we were thinking that she would say the things to clarify what is going on that the President doesn't seem to be able to articulate. However, that was not the case at all on today "Meet The Press."
When you don't have a straight answer, the best way to go is to get technical, which is what we saw from Ms. Pelosi. She spoke about how people who had plans before the Affordable Care Act was enacted, back in 2010, wouldn't have their policies cancelled, grandfathered in, if you will. Most people aren't thinking back to 2010 when the law was passed and then signed by the president. They're thinking of a month ago when the exchanges were supposed to be up and going as the real start of the law. That's incorrect but that is the perception.
It brings to mind another point, that the worst premise of the Affordable Care Act is that it relies on the insurance companies to do the right thing, but in reality what they'll really do is examine the law to find loopholes and exploit those loopholes. Nancy Pelosi said that the insurance company needs to issue another letter following a cancellation letter explaining that the exchange offers more coverage for a lower rate. Why would the insurance companies have any interest in doing that? They would not send a letter saying basically that they charge too much and don't give you enough cover so when you go to the exchange please pick us again. It's not going to happen. Also, if we're going back to 2010 to the initial enactment of the law, why hadn't these letter gone out sooner? It's convenient timing for the insurance companies to deflect blame about inadequate insurance and simply point to 'Obamacare' and how seemingly awful it is.
And when the former House Speaker says that there is nothing in the law that says you'll keep your policy, as noted by Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker, that doesn't help especially now that it is all we can remember President Obama saying about the law in the midst of a flood of soundbites.
Ms. Pelosi corrected noted that the state exchanges work very well, which is good news if you live in a state with a Democratic governor, that's just where we are politically. But maybe that makes Senator Kelly Ayotte's (R-NH) suggestion about being able to buy health insurance over states lines a good one. Give the 'red' states the opportunity to mitigate the ill-serving national healthcare site for one of the states' web sites that work. Otherwise, Ms. Ayotte's one and only concrete suggestion about what Republicans would offer is a stupid idea. If you live in New York and you buy an insurance plan in Alaska because its cheaper, you can pretty much guarantee that your doctor will be 'out of network.'
Other than that, Ms. Ayotte, very indicative of Republicans at large, had no alternative solutions to insure more Americans and curb costs. Doing a 'time out' on the Healthcare Law is not an alternative idea; that's a vote for nothing. The Republicans would be wise to offer a series of amendments, 'fixes,' to the law and this way, they can get some things they want out of it while politically looking like the compromising problem solvers. However, Republican political ranks are so fixated on ideological purity and opposition that they will not take that tact.
The bottom line is if the Affordable Care Act is going to work, the web site has to work. As Wall Street Journal editorial page deputy editor, Daniel Henninger, and the Washington Post's Ezra Klein agreed, with younger adults relying on and relating to connectivity, if the web site doesn't work, you will not have their support, they will not sign up, and then it's a complete disaster.
And we appreciate that Mr. Obama is willing to take responsibility for this disastrous role out, but it is very indicative of Chris Matthews' point that the Administration doesn't have a chain of command; not his cabinet but his White House Staff. Who in the Administration can the president assign to come on the Sunday programs and make the case? This only contributes to Mr. Obama's less than stellar performance and character poll numbers, which he could restore a bit if he were able to get a real 'fixer' in the administration. No one is filling that role.
And speaking of a fixer, the key is fixing the web site, because once the people who have had their plans cancelled see the better plans that are offered, then the outrage will subside. There will still be problems but they won't be for lack of communication.
We would also guess this an inappropriate time to ask about the possibility of an app.
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On this 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the perspective offered by Tom Brokaw and Chris Matthews is important to note because it was a particular generations' before and after moment, just as 9.11 is for us now. One can not fully negotiate today's complexities without having the historical reference to put it in perspective, or so we'd like to think so.
Then the program went off the rails again with speculative discussion of presidential politics. This was the time to further examine the President's handling of other issues, but this is a current failing of "Meet The Press" right now as they go for the political gossip instead of furthering examining what is important at the moment. Viewers tune out because of this. Tom Brokaw mentioned Mr. Obama's handling of Syria, and how the Russians basically bailed him out. Why not explore that topic further. What about discussing jobs? But no, instead we have to hearing nothing new about Hilary Clinton's prospects if she decides to run for president. Mr. Brokaw also said that with three years to go before the election, we'll offer no answer here today. To which Kathleen Parker quipped, "well, we have to fill up the hour," which pretty much summed it up.
Roundtable: NBC Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw; Washington Post columnist Kathleen
Parker; Republican Strategist Mike Murphy; and host of MSNBC’s
“Hardball,” Chris Matthews.
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