Memories. No, I am not reminiscing about that wonderful movie starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.  Even though I love it- and the song.

No, after listening to the State of the Union Address last night, I remembered how crazy the Republican Party has been for decades.  How they claim to stand for something, but don’t act upon it, so it’s clearly untrue.

If you are old enough, jump back to 2009. It was  a time when folks like me were traveling around  the USA, explaining the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  PPACA.  Oh, wait, it’s probably more familiar to you if I use the pejorative- Obamacare.

I had the fantastic opportunity to meet some very talented folks who also were making sure America really knew the provisions of the system.  To counteract the myths that this was  socialized medicine or it would destroy the doctor-patient relationship.

When the bill finally passed 34 Democrats voted against it- as well as every single Republican in the House.  But, it became the law of the land.  And, the GOP proceeded to have town halls declaiming the entire concept.

Now, I am not going to lie to you and say the rollout was a success.  Because those complicated federal and state market places simply lacked adequate computer software backbends to render the system flawless.

But, the system worked.  Folks got affordable health care.  No death panels ever decided who was going to die.  And, each year, the GOP attempted to repeal the law (without ONCE having a viable alternative to the program) to no avail.

And, in 29 days, PPACA will be 13 years old.  And, it has made it possible for Americans to have reasonable health care at reasonable costs.  Right after the 10^th Open Enrollment season for the program.

Right now, we have an all-time high registration on the Federal and State Health Exchanges- with the lowest uninsured rate ever.  Some 16.3 million folks have chosen their plan (via the ACA marketplaces), with the number of registrants increased by more than 50% since Joe Biden became President.  (The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 increased the health care subsidies, which are extended until 2025.  That means 4 of 5 folks who check out HealthCare.gov can find a plan that costs $10 or less a month.)   That means 1.8 million (a 13% increase) more sign-ups this year when compared to last year.

What about the uninsured?  Over the past years, that census has dropped from 11.1% in 2019 down to 8% in 2022.  Keep in mind that 17.5% of Americans were uninsured before PPACA was around. (These census figures are for folks under 65, since Medicare cuts in for all Americans when they reach that senior status.)

Oh, and here’s another great fact.  The 10 states with the highest percentage of enrollment?  They were the states the GOP claimed were most against the concept of Obamacare.

Yup.  Another of those big lies they love to spin.