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Late Night Political Humor

Saturday, October 12, 2013

“Republicans don’t want to shut the government down, they want to end this stalemate and get back to the important work of crippling the government.” – Stephen Colbert

“Last night President Obama had an hour-long meeting with Republicans and Democrats, but they were still unable to end the government shutdown situation. So don’t worry – while the shutdown is putting people out of work and costing taxpayers millions of dollars, lawmakers did spend a whole hour trying to fix it.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Nonessential government services have been put on hold. Flight safety inspectors furloughed. National monuments closed. The Grand Canyon is closed. They filled it with Spackle.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“According to a new report, experts in Pakistan say $25 million in cash is smuggled out of Pakistan every day, and less than 1 percent of Pakistanis pay any income tax at all. Here’s the amazing part: Somehow their government hasn’t shut down, but ours has.” – Jay Leno

“We are at a standstill with the government shutdown. It is costing $300 million a day. That is a full ‘Ironman’ sequel per day. We could be up to ‘Ironman 7’ tomorrow.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“It is day three of the government shutdown. Right now 33 percent of the government is doing absolutely nothing, which is not bad considering that before the shutdown 80 percent wasn’t doing anything.” – Jay Leno

“Most people think the IRS is just out to audit people. But that is not true. In addition to the people who do the audits, the IRS has people dedicated to defending taxpayers who get audited. But guess which group just got furloughed?” – Craig Ferguson

“President Obama is taking advantage of the government shutdown. It was announced earlier today that he has furloughed his mother-in-law.” – David Letterman

“This shutdown is hurting everyone. Today Michelle Obama told fat kids: ‘You’re on your own. Eat a Happy Meal. I don’t care.'” – Jay Leno

“Disneyworld said that it will help its employees sign up for Obamacare. So finally Sneezy can get some Claritin, Sleepy can get some Adderall, and Grumpy can get some Prozac.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Regarding the problems with starting Obamacare, President Obama said that Apple had some glitches with the iPhone but then they fixed them. Technically the president is correct, but you have to remember: Apple has geniuses working there. This is Washington. They don’t have any geniuses.” – Jay Leno

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Republican Exceptionalism

Friday, October 11, 2013

First the Republicans insisted that they were shutting down the government to save us from Obamacare, which they claim will ruin our wonderful health insurance system. Cough.

Then the Republicans changed their minds, and decided that it wasn’t about Obamacare after all, but instead it is about the deficit (even though Obama has been lowering the deficit, unlike their last president).

So, do the Republicans really care about the deficit? After all, they did pass a bill that will pay all the government workers for not working. Not sure how that is going to save any money.

But my new favorite answer to this question is a request that Republican Congressman Darrell Issa made after he helped force the government shutdown. He requested that his two year old lawsuit that he filed against the Justice department be allowed to proceed despite the shutdown. If you recall, Issa filed the suit over his failed investigation into alleged misdeeds by the Department of Justice in the “Fast and Furious” operation.

The best part is the response from the judge:

There are no exigent circumstances in this case that would justify an order of the Court forcing furloughed attorneys to return to their desks. Moreover, while the vast majority of litigants who now must endure a delay in the progress of their matters do so due to circumstances beyond their control, that cannot be said of the House of Representatives, which has played a role in the shutdown that prompted the stay motion.

In other words, lift the shutdown or suffer like everyone else — you ain’t exempt from your own misdeeds.

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Late Night Political Humor

Friday, October 11, 2013

“We’ve got the government shutdown, but the beginning of Obamacare. You know what that means? You can now complain to your doctor about the government making you sick.” – Jay Leno

“The American government has shut down. Who do you think you are? You work for us. I don’t recall giving you the day off.” – Craig Ferguson

“To be honest, I didn’t notice the government was shut down today. But the 800,000 government employees who had their hours cut or jobs taken away definitely did. But the good news is Congress is still getting paid.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“Right now more than 800,000 government employees are no longer getting paid. Don’t worry. Every single member of Congress still gets paid. You are right to hiss and boo, my friends.” – Craig Ferguson

“There are reports that several members of Congress were actually drinking last night while they were debating the bill that could have avoided the government shutdown. Which explains that one part where they said, ‘The floor recognizes the representative from Margaritaville!'” – Jimmy Fallon

“I want the names of the idiots who elected these people.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“I’m glad the government has shut down. Think about it, for the first time in years it’s safe to talk on the phone and send emails without anybody listening in.” – Jay Leno

“Even the NSA is out of business. And while they’re closed, while the government is shut down, they are asking citizens to please spy on each other.” – David Letterman

“The government shutdown is going to slash the budget for food inspection. That is bad news for health advocates, but great news for the new Japanese restaurant – Leap of Faith Sushi.” – Conan O’Brien

“Most of the White House staff is gone. The only one left is butler Forest Whitaker.” – David Letterman

“The federal government has shut down, and 800,000 federal employees are out of work. That explains why tonight our entire studio audience is made up of park rangers and astronauts.” – Conan O’Brien

“At least here in America, crucial agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol are still on the job. That’s a good thing. The last thing we need is an influx of Canadians, with their politeness and a government that’s open every day.” – Craig Ferguson

“The government may be shut down. But we are open for business here! What are we doing here? Shouldn’t we all be out looting a Best Buy or something? Who wants to start a post-apocalyptic motorcycle gang?” – Jimmy Kimmel

“The U.S. government has shut down so I think it will probably be best if you folks in the studio audience spent the night here.” – David Letterman

“The shutdown means the national zoo is closed. Who’ll feed the animals? Is anyone even there to lock them up at night? Pretty soon starving lions and tigers could charge out of the zoo. They’d devour the fattest, dumbest people on Capitol Hill. Actually that might be the answer to all of the problems.” – Craig Ferguson

“After Congress failed to reach an agreement on a new spending bill, the federal government officially shut down. So roads won’t get fixed, public employees won’t be able to help you, and getting a federal loan for a house will be very difficult – but there will also be a lot of differences.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Almost a million non-essential government employees were let go. Well, isn’t that the problem, that there’s that many non-essential employees?” – David Letterman

“How many are worried about a government shutdown? How many are more worried about it starting back up?” – Jay Leno

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Just the Facts

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Carl Bernstein slams the media coverage of the shutdown.

He also compares the tactics used by some conservatives against Obama to those of Joe McCarthy.

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Late Night Political Humor

Thursday, October 10, 2013

“Scientists in Stockholm say hundreds of jellyfish have shut down a nuclear reactor. Hey, that’s nothing. In this country, a bunch of spineless jellyfish have shut down the entire government.” – Jay Leno

“People are saying now that before the government shutdown Congressmen went out and got drunk – celebrating that they had shut down the government. This is the kind of thing that could damage their 10 percent approval rating.” – David Letterman

“A CNN poll showed that the Congress approval rating is done to 10 percent. That still doesn’t seem low enough. Do one out of 10 people really approve of the job Congress is doing? And who are these people? I want to work for them.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“Why isn’t the president telling Congress that shutting down the government is bad? And why won’t he tell them the stove is hot? Boehner keeps burning his hand over and over again.” – Stephen Colbert

“Do you understand this whole government shutdown thing? I mean, I know it’s about President Obama’s health care plan, but the Republicans are the ones making us bend over.” – Jay Leno

“When you sign up for Obamacare you choose between the bronze program, the silver program, the gold program, and the platinum program. If you sign up for the platinum, you actually get to drive the ambulance.” – David Letterman

“People are mad at Congress because of the shutdown. According to a new poll, 69% of Americans say that House Republicans are acting like children. I think they may have a point because when asked about it, Republicans said, ‘Ha ha you said 69’.” – Conan O’Brien

“This is unbelievable. The government is shut down. Even Al Qaeda couldn’t do that. Do you realize that?” – Jay Leno

“Fox News has started calling the government shutdown a ‘government slimdown’. Also according to Fox News, none of the government workers have been furloughed, they just went to go live on a farm.” – Conan O’Brien

“And as you know, all nonessential employees were sent home – like President Obama’s economic team.” – Jay Leno

“People have events in the national parks and they’re canceled because of the shutdown. There was a KKK rally scheduled to be held in a national park that was canceled. This was bad news for the KKK but good news for the park’s black bears.” – Conan O’Brien

“To all of you non-essential employees who have been forced out of your job: I work for NBC. I know how you feel.” – Jay Leno

“They say it’s a partial government shutdown, and I can remember something similar happened. It was like the government was shut down for eight years when Bush was president.” – David Letterman

“The government shutdown could cost the American economy $300 million a day. To put that in perspective, it would be like every day the economy released a new Lone Ranger movie.” – Conan O’Brien

“Because the government doesn’t have any money, NASA had to close a Twitter account that warns the public about asteroids. So if you’re someone who constantly checks Twitter to see if an asteroid’s coming – would an asteroid really make your life any worse?” – Jimmy Fallon

“So far the ones hit hardest by the government shutdown are tourists because all the national parks are closed. Where will people go for anonymous sex? We still have the airport bathrooms, but that’s only for Senators, and we can’t all use that.” – Craig Ferguson

“And because of the shutdown, even the Smithsonian Institute is closed. And as a result, tourists who come to Washington and want to see historical relics… they’re now being sent to John McCain’s office.” – Jay Leno

“Senator Ted Cruz announced he’s donating his paycheck during the shutdown to charity. Well, the charity is called Ted Cruz for President.” – Conan O’Brien

“The government shutdown – no one knows when the government will be back up and running. So if you’ve ever wanted to cut the tag off your mattress, do it now.” – Jimmy Fallon

“A lot of Republicans are hoping Democrats will eventually give in. I’m not so sure. If you’re waiting for Nancy Pelosi to blink, it may be awhile. I don’t know if it’s technically possible.” – Craig Ferguson

“Several bars in Washington, D.C., are offering discounts on drinks to federal workers affected by the government shutdown. Or as people who aren’t federal workers put it, ‘I’m a federal worker’.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Because of the government shutdown, President Obama has had to scale back his planned trip to Asia. Now Obama’s just going to cross the street and eat lunch at a Panda Express.” – Conan O’Brien

“You can see the effects of the shutdown all over town. It’s terrible. President Obama now down to just one teleprompter – that’s how bad it is.” – Jay Leno

“It is so bad the animals at the National Zoo are being auctioned off to HomeTown Buffet. That’s how bad it is.” – Jay Leno

“It is so bad Iran will now be forced to negotiate with Dennis Rodman. That’s how bad it’s gotten.” – Jay Leno

“It’s hurting everybody. In fact, Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry are now being forced to use the same Botox needle. That’s how bad it’s gotten.” – Jay Leno

“At the TSA, they’re making passengers fondle and grope themselves. That’s how bad.” – Jay Leno

“It is so bad a lot of government workers are now watching reruns of Breaking Bad just to get the meth recipes. That’s how bad it’s gotten.” – Jay Leno

“It is so bad John Boehner can’t afford tanning cream anymore. He’s just rubbing his face with Cheetos dust. That’s how bad.” – Jay Leno

“It is so bad Harry Reid has been forced to change his own embalming fluid. That’s how bad it’s gotten.” – Jay Leno

“Russian president Vladimir Putin has been named a candidate for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. His chances of winning are good because his strategy is to have the other nominees killed.” – Conan O’Brien

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How to Engineer a Shutdown

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

A must-read article in the NY Times explains exactly how the shutdown was planned, financed, and executed. Down to the exact talking points you now hear coming from the mouths of tea-party conservative politicians.

Heck, back in February they even published a self-named “Blueprint to Defunding Obamacare“, which was funded by a multitude of groups (often orchestrated by the billionaire Koch brothers — see, you really can buy government!)

They also put together an (again self-named) “Defunding Obamacare Toolkit“, including sample tweets to use to astroturf a grassroots movement against the law. You know, just in case their Tea Party drones were too stupid to come up with their own tweets, or couldn’t spell big words like “exemptions”.

The planning even included talking points to deflect blame for engineering the shutdown.

What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed for it?
—> We are simply calling to fund the entire government except for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.
—> If Congress is willing to defund this terrible law and stand up for the American people, the American people will support them.

It doesn’t matter that this answer is nonsense. If you keep repeating it people will believe it.

But the worst part is that they also used strong-arm tactics to punish any Republicans who didn’t go along with their plan to shut down the government. For example, when one North Carolina Republican Congressman told a reporter that defunding Obamacare was “the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard” conservative groups paid for ads attacking him. Republican Senators like Lamar Alexander and Lindsey Graham were also targeted, and are now being challenged by Tea Party backed candidates in their upcoming primaries.

Luckily, there may just be a silver lining to all this. Paul Krugman believes that the people who engineered this shutdown are “deeply incompetent” and calls the current GOP “the political equivalent of the Keystone Kops”. In fact, now that their plan to defund Obamacare has failed, they don’t even have a clue as to how to back down.

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Sex and Politics

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Apparently the sex business is getting a huge boost from the government shutdown. The site SeekingArrangement.com has seen a 50% boost in signups since the start of the shutdown, which is interesting since usually October is a slow month for them. Other sites are seeing similar growth.

But before you think all this growth is from horny bureaucrats with too much free time on their hands, think again. The PR manager for one of the sites reveals the real reason:

Half of the new members are single moms, so we’re thinking that it’s tied directly to the government shutdown, since programs like WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), that help more than 9 million moms, have been stalled. It would make no sense for growth otherwise.

That’s right. Once again money (or the lack thereof) is the root of all evil. Well, that and (ironically) conservatives, whose actions brought on the shutdown. I wonder what social conservatives think about that!

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Late Night Political Humor

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

“Did you see the Giants game on Sunday? They lost 31-7. Do you know what the Giants didn’t say after that game? ‘If you don’t give us 25 more points by midnight on Monday, we will shut down the fucking NFL.'” – Jon Stewart (on Republicans shutting down the government over their opposition to Obamacare)

“As of now we still don’t know whether Congress is going to vote to shut down the government. However, it looks like they still might burn it down for the insurance money.” – Arsenio Hall

“Tonight I will be covering the end of the government in a must-see TV event: the finale of Breaking Gov. Yes, tonight the United States government ends. Oh, it has been a hell of a ride folks. What a dramatic arc. It started out as a highly sympathetic character in the 1770s, but in 230 seasons has become an egotistical, self-destructive maniac.” – Stephen Colbert

“Well, last night we got to see how ‘Breaking Bad’ ended, and tonight we get to see how the federal government ends.” – Jay Leno

“In one final burst, ‘Breaking Bad’ character Walter White broke into the House of Representatives and demanded that Obamacare be repealed or he would blow up the country. Wait a minute, I might have been watching CNN.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“Midnight tonight is the deadline for Congress to pass their budget for the year. And if they don’t, things shut down – which is bad because we need to keep the government working so they can continue to not do things on our behalf.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“The shutdown will affect some national parks and museums. They’re going to close the Smithsonian. So if you have tickets, forget it. You’re not getting in. They’re going to close the National Air & Space Museum. They’re closing the Hillary Clinton Pantsuit Museum.” – David Letterman

“Yeah, money is tight right now in Washington. In fact after 128 years, the National Aquarium in D.C. may have to close because it’s running out of money. Officials say they plan on relocating all the fish to another aquarium nearby – then the fish were like, ‘Hey, isn’t that a Red Lobster?'” – Jimmy Fallon

“President Obama gave a speech today suggesting that this is kind of a hostage situation. But the Republicans who came up with the idea said they’re not holding America hostage, and if he bothered to read their ransom note, that would be perfectly clear.” – Jimmy Kimmel

“This whole government shutdown thing comes down to who will blink first. Well, we know it won’t be Nancy Pelosi. We know that for sure because she hasn’t blinked since the last shutdown.” – Jay Leno

“Both sides are blaming each other. Republicans are pointing their fingers at Democrats, Democrats are pointing their fingers at Republicans. And Americans are pointing the middle finger at both of them.” – Jay Leno

“If it turns out that President Obama can make a deal with the most intransigent, hard-line, unreasonable totalitarian mullahs in the world, but not with Republicans, maybe he’s not the problem.” – Jon Stewart (on Republican complaints that Obama was willing to negotiate with Iran and Russia but not Republicans)

“Now, I’m not sure how politics works, but I’m pretty sure if the government shuts down it means that we don’t have to pay taxes. I’m just kidding, Wesley Snipes … that’s a joke … pay your taxes.” – Arsenio Hall

“Our government may be shutting down in a few hours. So, folks, get ready for absolutely no noticeable difference.” – Conan O’Brien

“Do you care that the U.S. government’s shutting down? I thought they were already shut down. I mean, honestly.” – David Letterman

“Since 1976 there have been 17 government shutdowns. The longest was during the four years that Jimmy Carter was president.” – Jay Leno

“Even if the government shuts down, Americans don’t care. The last time Americans cared about anything was when they shut down the Twinkie factory.” – David Letterman

“If the government does shut down, nonessential White House employees will be sent home without pay – so more bad news for Joe Biden.” – Jay Leno

“If there is a government shutdown, most of the White House staff will be sent home. Which means there’ll only be nine guys whose job it is to keep Joe Biden away from the president.” – Conan O’Brien

“All this drama is very confusing to all the hookers in D.C. They don’t know whether they have to go to work tomorrow either.” – Arsenio Hall

“Diplomats from around the world have been spotted at strip clubs all over New York City while they are in town for the U.N. General Assembly. Things got pretty weird when the diplomat from Iran tried paying for his lap dance with goats.” – Jimmy Fallon

“Interestingly, polls show that most Americans say they don’t like Obamacare – but they love what’s in it. It’s like the opposite of a McNugget.” – Jimmy Kimmel

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Blame Game

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

David Horsey
© David Horsey

David Horsey has written some very good commentary to go with his comic. I just want to pass it on:

The government shutdown has revealed the impressive skill of tea party Republicans to say untrue things with sincerity so convincing that they almost sound as if they believe what they are saying. Michele Bachmann, with her toothy grin and startling wide-eyed stare, is especially adept at this.

The other day, the queen of the House tea party was standing before the TV cameras at the World War II Memorial with her arm around a frail-looking veteran of that war. A group of ancient vets had come to the capital for an event at the memorial only to find they couldn’t get in because of the government shutdown. Bachmann fawned over the elderly man while telling reporters how utterly shameful it was for President Obama to lock out these venerable old soldiers. The shutdown was the president’s fault, she said; he was to blame for inflicting so much unnecessary inconvenience and pain.

This is the same woman who has been absolutely giddy in other interviews talking about how “very excited” she and her colleagues are, as if the shutdown is the best thing since Jesus turned water into wine. “It’s exactly what we wanted, and we got it,” Bachmann said to the Washington Post.

On Sunday, House Speaker John A. Boehner was acting like a jilted girlfriend in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC. Boehner insisted Obama’s refusal to give him a phone call is the reason government offices remain shuttered. Boehner, of course, could end the impasse all by himself simply by allowing a vote on the Senate-passed continuing resolution to fund the government. It would easily get thumbs-up from Democrats and a significant share of Republican House members, but letting that happen would earn Boehner major grief, not only from the radicals in his caucus, but from the rich conservative money men who spearheaded the drive for this showdown.

And that is the highly pertinent fact that Boehner, Bachmann and the rest of the Republicans conveniently fail to mention. As detailed in a Sunday New York Times story, a well-financed cohort of conservative activists have been planning for months to use a government shutdown as a cudgel to cripple the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Among those behind the effort are, predictably, the Koch brothers, the right-wing billionaire industrialists who, the newspaper reports, gave out $200 million last year to anti-Obamacare groups. Another key leader is a figure from the dark past, Richard Nixon’s former attorney general, Edwin Meese III.

Also pushing the Obamacare battle is Michael A. Needham, who runs the political arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation. Unlike Bachmann and her buddies, Needham did not play coy when asked about what is going on, telling the New York Times, “We felt very strongly from the start that this was a fight that we were going to pick.”

And it’s the fight they got. Republicans should stop feigning innocence and be brave enough to own it.

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Short Attention Span

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

I have to hand it to the Republicans. They definitely know how to repeat something enough times that people start to believe it. Their latest talking point is that the Democrats are refusing to negotiate with them about the shutdown.

What’s hypocritical about their claim is that it is only true since the shutdown started. No less than 19 times, starting in April, the Democrats tried to negotiate with the Republicans to avoid a shutdown, but the GOP refused. Just minutes before midnight when there was no longer any chance of averting a shutdown, the Republicans suddenly tried to start conference-committee negotiations between the House and the Senate. And the Senate appropriately replied “We will not go to conference with a gun to our head”.

What’s worse is that Democrats already gave in to all the Republican demands on this budget. The Republicans even claimed that passing a clean CR with sequester-level funding was a victory for the party as recently as September 6th. So who is refusing to compromise and is shutting down the government if they don’t get everything they want? And even demanding more if they do get what they want?

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Away

Monday, October 7, 2013

I’m in and out of town on work for the next two weeks. I may miss a day or two of posts depending on my luck finding WiFi.

Hopefully, the whole shutdown mess will solve itself magically if I ignore it for a day or two.

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Killer Compromise

Monday, October 7, 2013

Tom Tomorrow
© Tom Tomorrow

Yesterday, Republican House Speaker John Boehner gave his first and only interview since the shutdown began. Interviewer George Stephanopoulos actually asked some tough questions, and Boehner got angry and almost lost it:

If you think killer robots is an unfair analogy, one of the departments hit by the shutdown is Health and Human Services, who are in charge of food inspections (including tracking salmonella outbreaks) and also would have been monitoring and helping develop vaccines for the upcoming flu season. Every year, between 3,000 and 49,000 people die from the flu. This is how Republicans, who claim to be oh-so-worried about Obamacare, show their concern for your health.

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The Onion explains what’s going on with the government shutdown

Sunday, October 6, 2013

The Onion
© The Onion

A wise man once said that Democracy means that the people get the government they deserve.

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Late Night Political Humor

Sunday, October 6, 2013

“We are actually headed toward a government shutdown, but if that’s what it takes to get Ted Cruz off my TV, I am all for it.” – Bill Maher

“This Ted Cruz guy, he incurred the wrath of his own party. They don’t like him. Democrats hate him. Independents hate him. Republicans hate him. Even Miley Cyrus — he’s the one guy she refuses to lick.” – Bill Maher

“Ted Cruz reminds me of Miley Cyrus because he is not afraid to incur the wrath of even some of his fans for the greater good of drawing attention to himself. I really think a filibuster is the political version of ‘twerking’.” – Bill Maher

“Texas Sen. Ted Cruz gave a 21-hour speech on the floor of the Senate during which he read Dr. Seuss’ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’, did an impression of Darth Vader, and admitted his love for White Castle. I’m not sure what Cruz’s speech was arguing for, but I’m guessing legalizing weed.” – Seth Meyers

“Ted Cruz talked for 21 hours in a fake filibuster, or as I call it, the vagina monologue. 21 hours? I kept saying, ‘Where is Kanye West when you need him?'” – Bill Maher

“Even if it was a real filibuster, which is wasn’t, it wouldn’t even be the record. Strom Thurmond holds the record, 24 hours 18 minutes, taking only one break to impregnate his maid.” – Bill Maher

“Republicans in Congress this week attempted to defund Obamacare before it begins open enrollment October 1. Because you know the old saying, ‘If you can’t beat them, kick the ball into the woods.'” – Seth Meyers

“The Senate passed a bill to keep the government running, but of course the teabaggers are still insisting on defunding Obamacare or they will blow the whole place up. Why are we asking them again? It’s like saying to someone, ‘Put your baby back on the phone’.” – Bill Maher

“Did you see Obama today, talking about talking to the president of Iran on the phone? For the first time since 1979 we are talking to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Obama says talking to him is probably pointless, but it’s a hell of a relief from Mitch McConnell.” – Bill Maher

“Officials believe that one of the terrorists [in the mall attack in Kenya] was a woman. And there are female suicide bombers. It’s just that their reward in paradise is a little different. Instead of getting 72 virgins, they get 72 guys who just listen.” – Bill Maher

“Some people got together and set a new world record in Times Square yesterday for twerking. And still Vladimir Putin says Americans aren’t exceptional.” – David Letterman

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HealthCare.gov is a Winner

Saturday, October 5, 2013

USA Today has done a review of the new HealthCare.gov website and how it helps people sign up for health insurance in the new Obamacare marketplaces, and have declared it a winner.

Look past its start-up glitches — they’ll get fixed — HealthCare.gov is an out-of-the-box success for consumers shopping for health insurance.

As for the glitches, they point out that 2.8 million people crashing a website on the first day is considered a problem that most web companies would love to have. A venture capitalist and former chairman of a health insurance company says “It shows they’ve hit the target. It’s obvious.” Startup glitches always happen, but they are soon fixed and forgotten.

They also point out that premiums in the marketplace are significantly cheaper than expected, even without federal subsidies. For example, for a 40-year-old nonsmoker, the site’s policy will cost $2,700 a year less than the average employer-provided health care coverage for the same person. That’s a pretty significant savings.

Having an open marketplaces where companies compete for your business in an open and transparent way is exactly the kind of market-based solution that you would think Republicans would be promoting. After all, they came up with the idea. Maybe they aren’t telling the truth when they claim to be in favor of free enterprise.

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