Back in the Swamp

++ The McCarthy hearings on Obamacare are on today. "Did you ever believe in Obamacare or anyone who did?" The pathetic aspect is how ignorant of the ACA the GOP members are. They don't seem to know you don't have to supply health information because there is no restrictions on pre-existing conditions.

++The House leadership coming off their shutdown debacle reiterated that the major problem in the country is Obamacare. I can guess about ten other major problems but this seems to fit their template. They did not promise to avoid another government shutdown or monkey with the debt ceiling.

++Senate Democrats from red states are pushing for a delay in the mandate on Obamacare. This would be disastrous because it opens the door for more sabotage by the GOP.

++I decided to check in to Healthcare.gov last night and window shop for insurance plans in Virginia that match my family's needs. I saw 32 of them and the one that was superb was a Blue Cross-Blue Shield Platinum Plan with $0 deductible. Without any subsidies because I do not qualify,it costs slightly less than the plan we have now. For me,these plans may enable my wife and I to retire earlier than anticipated. I read of a woman who complained about the website because it would time off and she had not made her decision. She said she had 132 different options and had to study them before she enrolled. The amazing thing is that people, for the first time, are seeing the wide-range of options available. I think this is one of the factors in the wobbly start.

++The success of Obamacare will be hit and miss depending on where you live. The California website seems to be working and Jerry Brown's extension of Medicaid may bring in the lion's share of new customers. New York is also carrying the ball. Remember for the program to work nation-wide, it needs 7 million customers. The question for me is whether the Medicaid expansion people count. You have expansions in Ohio, Pennsylvania,New York, California,maybe in Florida. The people who get hurt naturally are the poor in places in the South and Texas.

++Ezra Klein let rip today with an analysis in the Washington Post about how the GOP has methodically sabotaged the bill through neglecting to create state exchanges and depriving the HHS of funds needed to make up the difference in state compliance,etc. 

++Since I can't get anyone at Google to talk to me, there is no reason for me to marinate myself in the minutiae of the technical issues. Needless to say, launching Social Security was a hassle also.

++We will hear about Obamacare through the next election. It is obvious that this is the only issue for the GOP, a party incapable of any governance.