The HHS has produced a hilarious set of talking points for those of us facing our own crazy Uncle Liberty™ (h/t driftglass) at the picnic before fireworks.
This one is my favorite:
You should be prepared when Aunt Janine says something like, “Obamacare hasn’t helped anyone!” So here are a few points to remember during this long holiday weekend:
Situation: Uncle Ted claims Obamacare is a train wreck and has cost jobs.
You say: Uncle Ted, you’ve gotten ahold of some old talking points. With greater access to affordable, quality health insurance, the Affordable Care Act is helping individuals and strengthening our economy!
Since the main components of the law went into effect, we’ve reduced the number of uninsured by 16.4 million, the largest increase in the insured in decades. Before the ACA, the U.S. economy faced rapidly growing health costs that put enormous pressure on businesses and consumers. We paid more than any country without better health results, and millions of Americans were one illness away from bankruptcy. Today, we’ve seen the slowest growth in health costs in half a century, improved patient safety has saved an estimated 50,000 lives and $12 billion, and employer premiums for family coverage grew just 3 percent in 2014, tied with 2010 for the lowest on record back to 1999.
Meanwhile, since the ACA was signed, the private sector has added 12.8 million jobs over 64 straight months of job growth, extending the longest streak on record. The increase in employment over that period is due almost entirely to higher full-time employment. The number of people working part-time who would prefer to be full-time has fallen by 2.6 million from March 2010 through May 2015, including a decline of 1.1 million since December 2013.
Now, would you like more corn?
I've found that the best way to confront the critics is simply to say that it works for me and it works for my family, and do they really want their loved ones to suffer without it?
That usually prompts something like a begrudging comment about it being great that we have it, but they're not so sure about everyone else, which earns them a friendly but stern side-eye from me.
Got any other good ones?
