Obamacare riles up disability rights activists

By Tom Quiner

The year is 2010.

Barack Obama,  Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid call a press conference to try to sell “Obamacare” to the nation.

Mr. Obama starts:

“We’re going to force employers to provide gold-plated health insurance benefits for employees who work at least 31 hours a week. Of course, many of you will have your hours cut back to 30 hours or less by some employers who can’t afford the coverage. But it’s all for the greater good.”

Ms. Pelosi excitedly chimes in:

“I’m thrilled about this: we’re going to sneak free contraception, free sterilization … and … and … I can hardly get the words out I’m so jazzed… FREE abortifacients into ALL insurance coverage, unless you’re a fuddy-duddy old church or something. If you’re some sort of religious organization, you will STILL have to provide these products. No exceptions.

Yes, Yes, I know, some of you will consider this a violation of your religious conscience. But it’s time for you to get over your love affair with the First Amendment. This is all for the greater good.”

It was Harry Reid’s turn. The Senate Majority Leader was almost hyper ventilating in glee over this little nugget:

“If you have a child with a developmental disability such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida,  or autonomic dysreflexia, and if you’re getting a disability check from the government for your kid, guess what? Obamacare will force you to ship the kid to a nursing home if you want to keep the bucks flowing. And it’s all for the greater good.”

And so it goes.

Of course, this hypothetical press conference never took place. The unintended consequences of Obamacare keep dribbling out on a weekly basis. Many of the intended consequences were suppressed or hidden in a bill that had to be pass before it would be read.

Obamacare remains unpopular as its implementation slowly and belatedly advances. A whole lot of people don’t trust Big Government’s ability to dispense health care with a personal touch.

Obamacare may not let this mom, Deana Copeland (right), care for her daughter, Andrea Hood

Take the case of Deana Copeland.

Her daughter, Andrea Hood, was born with cerebral palsy, spina bifida,  and autonomic dysreflexia. Deana is her daughter’s caretaker. This mother and daughter live in Oregon. Andrea requires round-the-clock care, which her mom provides. The government provides $1400 a month to the mom as a paid service provider.

Under Obamacare, this may have to change, beginning January 1st of 2014. As reported in The Oregonian:

“A new provision in the Affordable Care Act … would largely prohibit guardians from serving as the paid caregiver of an adult child with developmental disabilities.”

In other words, for Deana to continue as a paid caretaker, she may have to go through the expensive legal procedure of giving up her rights as her daughter’s guardian.

How could the government put anyone in a position like this? This is the rap against Obamacare, that it is bureaucratic, inefficient, and impersonal (pardon the redundancies).

Ultimately, we consumers have this sinking feeling in the pit of our gut that the patient comes last under Obamare “for the sake of the greater good.”

We have been sold a bill of goods.

Let’s scrap Obamacare and start over.