In a move that puts Republicans in a pit match, telling those in need that that they can have unemployment or healthcare, but definitely not both seems to be a strategy that Mitch McConnell believes has electoral value.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday moved to hold long-term unemployment insurance benefits hostage in an effort to delay President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
So you can be poor and sick, but let's not do much to solve either of these things, and definitely not at the same time, because being poor and sick seems to be the key ways to improve the US economy.
McConnell makes this assumption because he believes delaying the mandate would save money. Is this true? Slate delved into this:
http://www.slate.com/...
CBO and JCT estimate that delaying the mandate to have health insurance coverage would increase the number of people without health insurance coverage—relative to the current-law projections—by about 11 million people in 2014, resulting in an estimated 55 million uninsured in that year. That increase in the uninsured population would consist of about 5 million fewer individuals with coverage under Medicaid or CHIP, about 4 million fewer individuals with employment-based coverage, and about 2 million fewer people with coverage obtained in the individual market (including individual policies purchased in the exchanges or directly from insurers in the nongroup market).
Think about what is being said here. For McConnell's math to work out, you wuld have to actively root for MORE people to be uninsured then before, and you'd also have to hpe that fewer even try to apply for insurance.
By decreasing the number insured, of course, you d increase private sector debt and bankruptcies..
http://www.nerdwallet.com/...
56M Americans under age 65 will have trouble paying medical bills
– Over 35M American adults (ages 19-64) will be contacted by collections agencies for unpaid medical bills
– Nearly 17M American adults (ages 19-64) will receive a lower credit rating on account of their high medical bills
– Over 15M American adults (ages 19-64) will use up all their savings to pay medical bills
– Over 11M American adults (ages 19-64) will take on credit card debt to pay off their hospital bills
– Nearly 10M American adults (ages 19-64) will be unable to pay for basic necessities like rent, food, and heat due to their medical bills
Over 16M children live in households struggling with medical bills
Despite having year-round insurance coverage, 10M insured Americans ages 19-64 will face bills they are unable to pay
1.7M Americans live in households that will declare bankruptcy due to their inability to pay their medical bills
– Three states will account for over one-quarter of those living in medical-related bankruptcy: California (248,002), Illinois (113,524), and Florida (99,780)
To save costs, over 25M adults (ages 19-64) will not take their prescription drugs as indicated, including skipping doses, taking less medicine than prescribed or delaying a refill
But increasing those numbers seems worthwhile, because they want unemployment benefits.
It's Russian roulette with the gun fully loaded.
Luckily, McConnell didn't get his way as Senate Republicans backed away, agreeing to schedule an up and down vote, 60-37.
But if you ever wondered if Republicans were rooting for the little guy.. it becomes more apparent every day they don't care.
Don't worry. A simple google search found me at least 31 attorneys who advertise in Kentucky for low-cost bankruptcies due to medical expenses.
Those attorneys may try to look out for their clients; and maybe send McConnell a referral check.