"Government Takeover of Health Care" Deemed Lie of the Year

So, I'm watching ABC's World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer when I hear that the first item on the GOP's 2011 To-Do List is to repeal the 2010 health care reform legislation. My frustration with this announcement causes me to rake my hand across my face. While I commend these newly elected lawmakers for wanting to follow through with their campaign promise, I think the mandate they received from their constituents was lost in transmission. If I'm not mistaken, most, if not all, of these constituents want their GOP leaders to work with President Barack Obama and other Democrats to create jobs and stimulate the American economy.

But that is not what they're going to do. For the next two years, I predict the rehashing of a debate that was closed when the health care legislation was passed through majority votes in both the House and the Senate. And for what? Don't they realize that we the people want reforms that a) make health care more affordable, b) hold insurers accountable, c) expand health care to all Americans, and d) make our health system sustainable?

In 2010, the GOP repeatedly argued health reform is a "government takeover of health care." But, according to Politifact, a respected nonpartisan watchdog, this statement was "the lie of the year."

In their report, PolitiFact authors Bill Adair and Angie Drobnic Holan write, "But the law that Congress passed, parts of which have already gone into effect, relies largely on the free market." They go on to assert that:

• Employers will continue to provide health insurance to the majority of Americans through private insurance companies.
• Contrary to the claim, more people will get private health coverage. The law sets up "exchanges" where private insurers will compete to provide coverage to people who don't have it.
• The government will not seize control of hospitals or nationalize doctors.
• The law does not include the public option, a government-run insurance plan that would have competed with private insurers.
• The law gives tax credits to people who have difficulty affording insurance, so they can buy their coverage from private providers on the exchange. But here too, the approach relies on a free market with regulations, not socialized medicine.

(To read the full PolitiFact report, visit http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2010/dec/16/lie-year-government-takeover-health-care/.)

The perfect storm for nonpartisan politics has arrived. But John Boehner and the Republican-led House of Representatives are being blinded by their deep-seated desire to remove President Obama from office after only one four-year term, possibly replacing him with the likes of Tea Party ambassador Sarah Palin. However, their goal should not be to repeal the 2010 health care reform legislation. They should first be more accepting of it as a vehicle for serving the best interest of the most Americans. Thereafter, they should commit themselves to working collaboratively with the Obama administration and other Democratic lawmakers to strengthen its weak areas, if any exist.

Truth be told, I think the GOP believes they have a real chance to reclaim the United States presidency in 2012. Maybe they do, I don't know. But at the outset of their reclamation of the House of Representatives, I would have to say, "Fat chance!" America is in the midst of an economic crisis, and GOP leaders continue to show their commitment to doing and saying nothing to help right our sinking ship. If they don't watch out, they will witness a reversal of fortune in 2012, because you can fool WE THE PEOPLE once, but don't think it's going to happen twice.

GOP leaders have consistently shown the American people that they do not have prescriptions for the nation's ills.

What do you think?

I look forward to reading your responses.