Material from a White House press release - about Idaho - seems worth quoting at some length, as a usually unspoken counterpoint to a pounded and re-pounded political point within the state.
There's little counter-article in Idaho to the idea that the Affordable Care Act - "Obamacare" in political-speak - is a tyrannical horror. Few specifics about the horrors are ever offered.
The White House press release does have some specifics about the counter point of view. (It'd be interesting to hear how these specifics constitute freedom-robbing terrors.) From it:
Health reform is already making a difference for the people of Idaho by:
Providing new coverage options for young adults. Health plans are now required to allow parents to keep their children under age 26 without job-based coverage on their family’s coverage, and, thanks to this provision, 2.5 million young people have gained coverage nationwide. As of June 2011, 11,736 young adults in Idaho gained insurance coverage as a result of the new health care law.
Making prescription drugs affordable for seniors. Thanks to the new health care law, 16,559 people with Medicare in Idaho received a $250 rebate to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole in 2010. In 2011, 14,963 people with Medicare received a 50 percent discount on their covered brand-name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. This discount resulted in an average savings of $579 per person, and a total savings of $8,665,605 in Idaho. By 2020, the law will close the donut hole.
Covering preventive services with no deductible or co-pay. In 2011, 153,007 people with Medicare in Idaho received free preventive services – such as mammograms and colonoscopies – or a free annual wellness visit with their doctor. And 54 million Americans with private health insurance gained preventive service coverage with no cost-sharing, including 283,000 in Idaho. (more…)