By now you’ve heard it plenty: The Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” is like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This creative bit of dot-connecting began with President Obama, and has been perpetuated by countless talk-show hosts and their guests. By implication, to oppose Obamacare is tantamount to opposing civil rights, which, roughly translated in this country, means being racist.
This would be a dandy argument if the two issues were remotely related. Yes, they are similar inasmuch as the federal government imposed laws on individuals related to personal decision-making. And yes, those decisions revolved around commerce. But the health care mandate forces business and individuals to buy something against their will. The mandate facilitates access to health care the same way being pushed off a diving board facilitates swimming. It may prove effective — or not — but it shouldn’t be confused with civil rights.
One may firmly believe that any government program aimed at improving health care for more people is defensible. At least some Americans apparently do, but not that many. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Americans oppose the law by 52-41 percent. And 67 percent believe the Supreme Court should toss the law or at least the mandatory portion. This is hardly a national endorsement of Obama’s health plan. Nor, however, should it be construed as permission for Republicans to continue pretending that the American health care system doesn’t require any government attention, as they did until Democrats seized the issue.
Major differences
The problem of access to affordable health care is nothing to shrug about. By all means, let’s work toward making an exceptionally good system better — but without the pandering shibboleth of health care reform as a civil rights issue. One dealt with discrimination on the basis of race and was a clear violation of human rights and, therefore, the spirit of the Constitution.Guaranteeing access to purchase is far different than forcing purchase. That some can’t afford insurance or are denied coverage through unemployment surely can be addressed in other, more creative ways. Americans love the portability aspect of Obama-care, but this could have been accomplished without restructuring a huge swath of the economy based largely on projections and assumptions.