# Can someone explain in a nutshell EXACTLY what the Republicans object to re Obamacare **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 17, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358 "2016-02-17T18:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/81 "2016-02-18T17:16:44Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > But now since this is a problem, there is no limit as to what individuals can be forced to do under the guise of reducing costs to the system. Eating broccoli, reducing fatty foods, outlawing dangerous recreational activities, anything that touches on health or public safety is a target for forcing behavior. That is absolutely true, which is why you should take every opportunity to remind your elected representatives that you will vote against them if they mandate broccoli-eating. But you won’t, because you’re a single issue voter (IIRC). Of course, as it happens the issue you tend to vote on likely puts you on the side of the party that won’t require you to eat broccoli anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/82 "2016-02-18T17:27:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That is absolutely true, which is why you should take every opportunity to remind your elected representatives that you will vote against them if they mandate broccoli-eating. But you won’t, because you’re a single issue voter (IIRC). Of course, as it happens the issue you tend to vote on likely puts you on the side of the party that won’t require you to eat broccoli anyway. Win/win! I do love broccoli. The government shouldn’t be able to force me to eat it though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/83 "2016-02-18T17:37:29Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Win/win! I do love broccoli. The government shouldn’t be able to force me to eat it though. Interesting choice of example. Franklin Delano Roosevelt hated broccoli, but the White House cook sometimes mad it, and he felt compelled to eat it. George H.W. Bush hates broccoli, and mandated a “no-broccoli” menu when they served him at the White House. Roosevelt was a Democrat. Bush a Republican. This is one of the issues I agree with him on. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/84 "2016-02-18T18:05:35Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Yes, a strange example. Doctors can’t force you to take a sleep test you don’t need. And, to the extent you felt pressured, the doctor would have had exactly the same motivation with your pre-ACA health insurance as he or she would now. Absolutely right. But then again with “You need to take this test or I can’t treat you.” the choice is get treatment or don’t get treatment. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/85 "2016-02-18T18:08:12Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Absolutely right. But then again with “You need to take this test or I can’t treat you.” the choice is get treatment or don’t get treatment. And that only started with the ACA? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/86 "2016-02-18T18:38:56Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > If you listen to the GOP contenders they deliver a uniform message: > _We’re going to repeal Obamacare and **replace it with something better.** _ > I was looking forward to reading this thread becuase I’ve always wondered what the “something better” would be. (Is it just something very similar to Obamacare but called Romneycare or ¡JebCare! ?) > "[/INDENT] > > OP said she got her answer and has left the thread. I didn’t see the answer. About 49% of the nation will vote for the GOP in November, in part because they want “something better” than Obamacare. Will no one tell me what that “something” is? > **[2016 presidential candidates on healthcare](https://ballotpedia.org/2016_presidential_candidates_on_healthcare)** > > Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics Trump: Health care savings plans.\*\* Repeal Obamacare.\*\* Carson: “health empowerment account system.” whateverthefuckthatis 😕 :dubious: (a sort of Health care savings account?) **Repeal Obamacare.** Cruz: allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines, health savings accounts. **Repeal Obamacare.** Rubio: High-risk pools- also his grandfather had polio, but what that has to do with it…???😕 **Repeal Obamacare.** So, no GOP candidate has suggested “something better”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/87 "2016-02-18T18:41:01Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > There was one response that was refreshingly honest: I’ll paraphrase it: > “I don’t want gummint stealing my money to heal the poor. If the lazy good-for-nothings want money to see a doctor, let them start up a successful Internet company or something.” Everyone already does this, with free to them but overpriced for the taxpayer ER visits for the indigent. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/88 "2016-02-18T18:42:22Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > Not a republican but my objection is that > > I want the freedom to make my own mistakes. So, when they wheel you into that County ER, you will hop off the gurney and die instead? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/89 "2016-02-18T18:43:20Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Win/win! I do love broccoli. The government shouldn’t be able to force me to eat it though. I agree. But bad policy isn’t against the law, so your recourse against mandatory broccoli is at the ballot box. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/90 "2016-02-18T18:49:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I agree. But bad policy isn’t against the law, so your recourse against mandatory broccoli is at the ballot box. I know! It sucks and my position lost. Get ready for mandatory broccoli. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/91 "2016-02-18T18:57:43Z")
I’m okay with mandatory broccoli. Assuming you mean Obamacare. If you mean actual broccoli I may be persuaded to exercise my Second Amendment remedies. ---
**Author:** ![GulfTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e79b87/32.png) [@GulfTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GulfTiger)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/92 "2016-02-18T19:04:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, when they wheel you into that County ER, you will hop off the gurney and die instead? :dubious: I would die with a cleaner conscience knowing that I didn’t force someone else to pay for my mistakes through the threat of government violence. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/93 "2016-02-18T19:06:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You are making a case for the government to provide a safety net for those who can’t afford health insurance. That is not an argument for a government mandate that everyone carry insurance. If you accept that the government should provide a safety net for those that can’t afford health insurance, and it was, at the time, impossible to pass a system that would allow for that without a mandate, it sort of is. If we had done single-payer, or some other system that actually works, I’d agree. But the mandate is necessary for near universal coverage with private insurers. For the insurance companies to stay afloat they need a mandate to offset the price controls and prohibition against insurance dickeries (like pre-existing conditions or lifetime caps). Without a mandate, the other two legs collapse. Or at least they’re likely to collapse. So, I’d say, as a \*practical \*matter, an argument for the safety net is an argument for a mandate, because half the population delusionally thinks our previous system was first rate and would revolt at the idea of comporting with the rest of the first world. Typically, I blame RW media. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/94 "2016-02-18T19:07:17Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > I would die with a cleaner conscience knowing that I didn’t force someone else to pay for my mistakes through the threat of government violence. Just the cost of picking you up and transporting has already been incurred. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/95 "2016-02-18T19:08:18Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Mandatory automobile insurance is not the same type of insurance as mandatory health insurance. Mandatory automobile insurance says “If you’re going to careen around on government roads with a ton of metal moving at fifty miles per hour, you must have the ability to pay for any damage you do _to anyone you run into_.” It does _not_ demand that you buy insurance to cover your own losses. But the premise of the health insurance mandate is that if you are sick, we will provide you with care even if you can’t pay for it, because you’re a human being and not just a car. So if you don’t cover your own losses, others will cover them for you. In that sense, health insurance is also protecting the rest of us from having to pay for your problems. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/96 "2016-02-18T19:08:56Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > I would die with a cleaner conscience knowing that I didn’t force someone else to pay for my mistakes through the threat of government violence. It’s easy to say it now, but in the moment, I’m guessing you’d want to live. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/97 "2016-02-18T19:10:36Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > I would die with a cleaner conscience knowing that I didn’t force someone else to pay for my mistakes through the threat of government violence. I really do wish we had a clause in the law that said “if you don’t want to buy insurance, fine, you must agree to forego all treatment you can’t pay for.” If it weren’t for that fact that people like you could still cost me money when your kids go on welfare after you die or whatever, I think it would work out. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/98 "2016-02-18T19:12:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Just the cost of picking you up and transporting has already been incurred. Not to mention the plastic tarp burial shroud and the pauper’s grave. ---
**Author:** ![GulfTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e79b87/32.png) [@GulfTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GulfTiger)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/99 "2016-02-18T19:18:16Z")
> [@](#): > > If it weren’t for that fact that people like you could still cost me money when your kids go on welfare after you die or whatever, I think it would work out. A good reason to get rid of welfare too. Thanks for making that point. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358/100 "2016-02-18T19:24:31Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > A good reason to get rid of welfare too. Thanks for making that point. Punish your kids for your mistake? Or do you want to repeal child labor laws? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-in-a-nutshell-exactly-what-the-republicans-object-to-re-obamacare/746358.md?page=6)