Obamacare vs Social Security

Today’s #1 political divide is Obamacare. A Google search on “force people to buy health care” and “Obama” generates 2.2 million hits.

Today’s Republican message is that Obamacare is Exhibit A in government overreach; another unnecessary intrusion into personal decisions. If today’s Republicans are right, so were their Republican parents and grandparents.

At its inception in the 1930s, Republicans bitterly opposed Social Security. They labeled FDR a socialist. Republicans used Social Security as a rallying call to win 81 House seats in the 1938 election. Democrats argued that although optional insurance was available, people simply didn’t buy it. Society was left to cope with all the problems posed by impoverished seniors, orphans and the disabled. A government mandate was the only realistic solution.

In the end, our grandparents devised a government-imposed solution that required every American to “buy” retirement, disability and loss-of-parents insurance. It’s expensive, drawing 12.4% off the top from every paycheck (capped at $106,000). No one can choose whether or not to buy this insurance.

Today, Social Security is effective and popular. Its mandate has succeeded in ending extreme poverty among the elderly, the disabled and orphans, where destitution was a reality before Social Security.

At its inception in the 1960s, Republicans bitterly opposed Medicare. They labeled LBJ a socialist. Republicans used Medicare as a rallying call to win 47 House seats in the 1966 election. Democrats argued that although optional insurance was available, people simply didn’t buy it. Society was left to cope with all the problems posed by impoverished seniors needing medical care. A government mandate was the only realistic solution.

In the end, our parents devised a government-imposed solution that required every American to “buy” medical insurance for the aged. Medicare is expensive, drawing 2.9% off the top of every paycheck (with no cap). No one can choose whether or not to buy this insurance.

Today, Medicare is effective and popular. Its mandate has succeeded in extending the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans who either died or bankrupted their children before Medicare.

Fast-forward to Obamacare.

America’s healthcare system is broken. We pay far too much for substandard results. 16% of US GDP goes for healthcare. Our economic competitors in the developed world average 11% of GDP for healthcare -- and get higher life expectancies. In America, insurance companies, lawyers, Big Pharma and hospital corporations scrape off the cream from our healthcare dollars. Our generation needs to fix America’s broken healthcare system.

From its inception as a Democratic program (although not when it was a Republican program), Republicans have bitterly opposed Obamacare. They label Obama a socialist. Republicans used Obamacare as a rallying call to win 63 House seats in the 2010 election. Democrats argued that although optional insurance is available, people simply don’t buy it. Society is left to cope with all the problems posed by people either bankrupted by healthcare, frozen in their jobs or showing up at emergency rooms with no means to pay for life-saving treatment. A government mandate is the only realistic solution.

In the end, our generation devised a government-imposed solution that required every American to “buy” healthcare insurance. Obamacare is expensive, despite the claims of agencies and think tanks. No one can choose whether or not to buy this insurance.

Today, aspects of Obamacare are popular, especially the crucial ability to buy healthcare insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions, an ability that is only workable if everyone is already in the insurance pool. In the end, Americans will judge Obamacare by its success in lowering the overall cost of healthcare in America.

Republican claims that Obamacare is socialism and government overreach are only as credible as historic and parallel Republican charges over Social Security and Medicare.