Cruz: 'The Terrain Has Changed and I Believe We Will Repeal Obamacare'

CNS News ^ | January 30, 2014 | Barbara Hollingsworth

[2ndDivisionVet]

Calling Obamacare a “Rube Goldberg-like contraption” that has caused more people to lose their health insurance than those who are enrolled in the exchanges, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) revised his previous assessment that once the government subsidies kicked in, it would be “ impossible to repeal Obamacare” because Americans would become “addicted to the sugar.”

“We are seeing the fruits of the battle that so many millions of Americans engaged in last fall to stop Obamacare, and I think the direct result of that fight was to elevate the national debate over the harms that Obamacare has caused,” Cruz said during a Wednesday conference call with reporters and bloggers. “And as a consequence, I think the terrain has changed and I believe we will repeal Obamacare."

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

Cruz noted that “momentum was building” to repeal President Obama’s signature health care law even among groups that had previously supported it.

“I believe that the American people have grown to understand what an absolute disaster this law is, that it is killing millions of jobs, forcing millions into part-time work, has already resulted in over five million people losing their health insurance and that it is producing skyrocketing premiums for people all over this country.

“And I think as a result of so many Americans speaking out and really highlighting the consequences, we’re seeing the popularity of Obamacare plummet. We’re seeing it becoming increasingly unpopular with young people, with Hispanics, with independents, with Democrats.

"And as long as we keep the focus on the manifest failures – the people who are being hurt because of Obamacare – the case will continue to be made that it has to be repealed.”

Pointing out that President Obama “did not say a single word to the five million people whose health insurance polices have been cancelled because of Obamacare” during Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Cruz said that “if the purpose of this law was to extend insurance to 330,000 people who were uninsured, it would have been a heck of a lot cheaper to just write a check to each of those 330,000 people for a million bucks apiece.

“If we had done that, it would have cost only one-sixth of what Obamacare is going to cost and it wouldn’t have caused over five million people to lose their health insurance, it wouldn’t have caused millions of people to lose their jobs or be forced into part-time work, [or] to see their premiums skyrocket.”

Cruz said he was “still looking at the details” of a plan to replace Obamacare proposed Monday by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) ,Richard Burr (R-N.C). and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would eliminate the federal mandates, and instead use tax incentives based on age and income to encourage individuals to buy health insurance and business owners to provide it.

“What was most striking was that within minutes of the plan being announced, the White Hosue immediately began attacking it….Given that the plan had been announced moments before, they were blasting the plan without reading the details,” Cruz said.

The Texas Republican held a 21-hour filibuster on the Senate floor last September in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Senate Democrats from funding Obamacare on a straight party-line vote.

[Liz]

Democrats lock-stepping all the way to retirement----11 Dems are bowing out---absconding to no-show jobs---scared stiff of the mess Obamacare got them into...being powerless....in the minority when voters get a crack at 'em.

===========================================

As far back as 2008, at the presidential debate in Nashville, Democrat candidate Obama advanced his signature plan that was ultimately enacted (by an historic straight Democrat party-line vote) into the "Affordable Care Act :

OBAMA: "No. 1, let me just repeat, if you’ve got a health care plan that you like, you can keep it. All I’m going to do is help you to lower the premiums on it. You’ll still have your choice of doctor.”

Repeated over and over ---- with the promise that every American family would be saving $2500.00 on healthcare costs.

LOCK-STEPPING PARTY LOYALTY NOT SEEN SINCE 1940's ERA EUROPE Obama And The Dumbos marched in lockstep. The persistent Dumbocrat drumbeat ---- in obeisance to Obama ---- kept ringing reassuringly in our ears: "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan."

=================================

SIGNING "THE BIG EFFIN' DEAL" (now known as "The Big Effin Debacle")

"Those Democrats leering over my shoulder owe me bigtime. This
healthcare bill insures we have a permanent Democratic majority."

" All except those Tea Party types, swallowed hook, line and sinker my promises that they could:
(1) keep their existing health plans,
(2) keep their own doctors that they like,
(3) keep their 25-year-olds on the family health plan,
(4) never be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition,
(5) sign up instantly on my tech-savvy government Web site,
(6) buy insurance only after becoming seriously ill."
(7) save $2,500 in annual premiums in the bargain....
(8) All without any new taxes."

"Them sonovagun Tea Partiers will rue the day they criticized my wonderful bill."

[Liz]

I devoutly believe that Obamacare will be chronicled in history as a blunder of Ceausescuian proportions.

Boobamba’s signature legislation —— formerly touted as his main “accomplishment” -—— has been an unmitigated disaster.

[Jacquerie]

Why can’t other Republicans talk like this?

I wondered the same. Why is Cruz one of very few who stick to the principles they campaigned on?

I say it has far less to do with the character of the people we send, and far more to do with the structure of congress.

A truism well known by our framers was that of private virtue and public vice among popularly elected politicians. I'd bet the vast majority of even rat politicians never stole a personal item in their lives. OTOH, when participating as one of many, such as in congress, they have no problem stealing property from one set of citizens and giving it to another set. It is the nature of popular representation.

It is why so many tea partiers go wobbly or full rino.

The key to possible restoration of freedom is to return to the federal design of our framers.

As long as both houses of congress are popularly derived, our fate is democratic tyranny. There is little, if any time to save our republic.

[DownInFlames]

January 1, 2015 after the new congress is sworn in w a majority in both houses:

1. Replace Boehner
2. Impeach and remove Obama, Biden, and Holder
3. Repeal Obamacare in total.
4. Pass a bill beginning to repeal the 16th and 17th Amendmends.
5. Defund DEA, EPA, TSA, DHS, DoE, DoHHS, DoEDu, CIA, NSA.

[mazda77]

Costa Rica is already on it.

http://www.hcbinternational.com/web/
http://www.patientsbeyondborders.com/hospital/cima-san-jos%C3%A9

[varon]

Why can’t other Republicans talk like this?

Ahem, very few were elected for their intelligence..........

[FlingWingFlyer]

The good news is, when they repeal it, a lot fewer people will lose their health insurance than lost it when the commie lib ‘RATS turned this beast loose on Americans.

[Stalwart]

“Cruz noted that “momentum was building” to repeal President Obama’s signature health care law even among groups that had previously supported it.”

That certainly does not apply to us, does it?

I wonder how Big Pharma likes the unintended consequences of Obamacare. Millions of Americans lose their coverage, so fewer prescriptions for those noxious statins, anti-depressants, etc.

How can you add Abilify to your anti-depressant, when you no longer have a doctor?

Congress isn’t listening to Main Street. I think Cruz is referring to K Street.

[Excellence]

I think people should have to pass through the urgent care to get to the ER.

[McGruff]

What a team this would make.

[Balding_Eagle]

These ideas may help:

Health Care Reform by John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO

• Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs). The combination of high-deductible health insurance and HSAs is one solution that could solve many of our health-care problems. For example, Whole Foods Market pays 100% of the premiums for all our team members who work 30 hours or more per week (about 89% of all team members) for our high-deductible health-insurance plan. We also provide up to $1,800 per year in additional health-care dollars through deposits into employees' Personal Wellness Accounts to spend as they choose on their own health and wellness. Money not spent in one year rolls over to the next and grows over time. Our team members therefore spend their own health-care dollars until the annual deductible is covered (about $2,500) and the insurance plan kicks in. This creates incentives to spend the first $2,500 more carefully. Our plan's costs are much lower than typical health insurance, while providing a very high degree of worker satisfaction.

• Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. Now employer health insurance benefits are fully tax deductible, but individual health insurance is not. This is unfair.

• Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state and we should be able use that insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable.

• Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance by billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual customer preferences and not through special-interest lobbying.

• Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. These costs are passed back to us through much higher prices for health care.

• Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost. How many people know the total cost of their last doctor's visit and how that total breaks down? What other goods or services do we buy without knowing how much they will cost us?

• Enact Medicare reform. We need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and enact reforms that create greater patient empowerment, choice and responsibility.

• Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Here is one FR link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313920/posts

[Resolute Conservative]

Problem is can we recover from the damage? The business model has already changed. Can we un-ring the bell. I see having to pass more, new laws to get things “back” to the open market model. Maybe a new one to get rid of that stupid interstate albatross.

[sheana]

We actually have a hospital here that did that. There is a medi center connected to the emergency room. When you check in you see a triage nurse and she directs them which side to send you to. Everyone waits in the same waiting room so you don’t know where you are going until your name is called. It actually works well.

[SoConPubbie]

Ted Cruz Ping!

If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.

Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

[Jane Long]

Thanks for posting that great image of my Sen Ted Cruz!!

[Jane Long]

That would make WAY too much sense!

The libs wouldn’t be able to whip out their (fill in the blank — race, inequity, war on wimmins) cards fast enough, though.

[onyx]

YW!
I think it suits him!
He’s the very best!!

[Graewoulf]

RINOs:

We did not want Obamacare, and you Neo-Democrat RINOs gave it to us anyway, and we are the worse for it.

We DO want y’all to enforce existing Federal Border Laws.

WE DO NOT WANT IMMIGRATION REFORM ! Y’all gave us that in 1986, and we are the worse for it!

Now y’all say that “we need to cave in this year to Obama on Immigration Reform.” Why this perversion to betray us!?

This is the same GEE OH PEE pablum that you Neo-Democrat RINOs have been always been feeding to the gullible, low information voters.

McCain, McConnell, Cornyn, Boehner, Cantor, and Ryan are always “waiting for massive support from the Public” before they even consider doing a pitched battle with the enemy.

The “enemy” is y’a’ll caving in to Obama! Just enforce existing Border Laws!

Y’all go on TV to publicly beat y’alls chests, and then “reach across the aisle to y’alls good friends in order to get something done.”

You Neo-Democrat RINOs will never lead, will always wait for a groundswell of Public discontent before risking incurring the wrath of their most dreaded enemy: The Leftstream Media.

Note to all the Congressional RINO leaders: We gave y’all in 2010 what y’all said y’all were waiting for - - - - The Massive TEA Party Rebellion, and y’all fought us every step of the way, and are fighting us now more than ever!

We gave y’all the support that y’all asked for and y’all betrayed us!

Betray us once, shame on you. Betray us twice, shame on us!

LEAD, OR GET OUT OF OUR WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW, we have long memories, and just so y’all know, RINO SEASON IS NOW OPEN AND THERE ARE NO BAG LIMITS !

_____________________

Boehner pledged to repeal Obamacare, and two months later Boehner said this: “Obamacare is the Law of the Land.”

There have been NO attempts by Boehner to go for the jugular by appointing a Special prosecutor for any of the 4 major Obama Derelictions of Duty.

Boehner made no attempts to stop the illegal changing of the Obamacare Law by the Administration, effectively approving the re-writing of Law by the administration.

No dictatorial Administration could have a more helpful Speaker of the House than John “Benghazi Coverup” Boehner.

Boehner had one last chance when Reid and Obama refused to negotiate, and thereby Reid and Obama shut down part of the Federal Government.

Then Boehner refused to follow Senator Cruz and Lee, and folded to Reid and Obama like the cheap suit that he is.

Boehner is someone that should never have gone into politics.

[bert]

Drivel

Please name one Republican that voted for Obama care?

[DoodleDawg]

The proposed GOP replacement will be as expensive, if not more expensive than Obamacare. It will raise taxes on those who get insurance through their employers. And it will bankrupt the insurance companies. Other than that it’s great.