Obama Propping Moms to Prop Up #Obamacare
How to tell when the Obama adaministration is desperate, they send in the props. Today, President Obama met with eight moms from around the country to discuss how they can help, well sell, Obamacare to their friends and neighbors. Afterall, there's something about moms.
But let's take a closer look at these Obamacare loving moms and their Obamacare success stories courtesy of the DC Caller:
These moms, I assumed, were amongst the many writing letters to the president each day. I assumed they were so pleased with the passage of Obamacare and ability to finally obtain affordable care that they reached out to Obama with praise, and he was insprired to bring them in for a chat. (Snort)
The group included women from all over the nation, and by nation the Obama administration means the east coast.
The first three women are moms from Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey who explain how grateful they are that their 20 something year old children were able to stay on their policy thanks to Obamacare.
Fantastic, these children are receiving quality healthcare at an affordable price thanks to Obamacare, one wonders if the parents or the children would have preferred a robust economy allowing them to find full time work, move out of mom and dad's home and obtain their own health insurance plan. But I digress, YAY Obamacare!
The fourth mom is more of an Aunt than a mom, but nonetheless, Aunt Janise was able to help find her nephew affordable healthcare he didn't have access to with his two part time jobs,,,(insert obvious here) Aunt Janise was so successful finding affordable care for her nephew, she now is on a mission to sign up his friends. What a GREAT Aunt! Go Obamacare!
The fifth mom, while a mom of three college graduates, she is also a volunteer of Enroll America, the 'non partisan' organization recently under fire for being, well, not so non-partisan as exposed in the recent James O'Keefe expose about Obamacare navigators.
The sixth mom, Neeta, doesn't speak of how Obamacare helped her family but rather how she volunteers for Organizing for America, canvassing neighborhoods to find the uninsured. Organizing for America may ring a bell as this organization too was featured in the O'Keefe expose and is the PAC formerly known as Obama for America.
The seventh mom, is a mom and tells the story of the ACA helping her receive affordable healthcare for her child with a pre-existing condition. And in all fairness, this is the type of person healthcare reform should help, it just should not have required the 85% of Americans who were happy with their plans to suffer.
And finally. Nicole, a VP for AARP an ardent supporter of the ACA. In all fariness, Nicole is a mom but we did not receive a feel good Obamacare saves the day story from Nicole.
The moms and Obama for Obamacare photo op may look good on film, but given the majority of moms present have an affiliation with pro Obama groups, I'm left wondering how much propping these mom props will really provide Obamacare.
For this mom, it smells a little like desperation.
Mary Todd Glascock, Virginia Beach, Virginia Mary Todd is a single mom and a Spanish teacher at an independent private school in Norfolk, Virginia. In August of 2011, her 21-year-old son was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a very rare and aggressive cancer. Thanks to the ACA, her son was able to stay on Mary Todd’s insurance.
Jeanne K. Wardford, Chevy Chase, Maryland Jeanne is a mother of two children who are in their 20s. Jeanne and her husband used to be consultants but after years of paying more than $2,000 a month for health coverage for their family on the individual insurance market – coverage that considered her son’s asthma and allergies a pre-existing condition and dropped her children when they entered college – she decided to get a position that had employer-sponsored coverage. Thanks to the ACA, she was able to add both of her children to her plan, which meant that the Wardford family did not have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for testing and treatment when Jeanne’s daughter needed major surgery related to her diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease (a thyroid condition).
Susan Heskins-Lazar, Teaneck, New Jersey Susan is a married mother of two children, both of whom are in their early twenties. Her 23-year-old daughter recently was admitted to the hospital for gallbladder surgery and, thanks to the ACA, was still on her parents’ insurance.
Janise Kyle, Arlington, Virginia Janise recently helped her 27-year-old nephew sign up on healthcare.gov. Her nephew works two part-time jobs, has several chronic pre-existing conditions, and a very limited and expensive insurance plan through his employer. Together they were able to find a plan that provides the coverage he needs. Now she is working to sign up her nephew’s friends.
Mary Marker, Howard County, Maryland Mary volunteers with Enroll America and Organizing for Action in Howard County, Maryland. She works closely with the Howard County Connector to make sure uninsured residents enroll and coordinates the efforts of dozens of other volunteers to reach out to the uninsured in the county. Mary’s latest project is canvassing young people – 26 to 27-years-olds – including those who live on her street. Mary has three children, all of whom are college graduates.
Neeta Datt, Montgomery County, Maryland Neeta is the Organizing for Action chapter lead in Montgomery County, Maryland and she has been working with the Montgomery County Connector to arrange targeted outreach to the uninsured in her county. Mary directs the efforts of dozens of volunteers who are doing high traffic area and door-to-door canvassing in targeted communities. Neeta is married and has two grown sons.
Felicia Willems, Raleigh, North Carolina Felicia volunteered with MomsRising for six years before taking a part-time position with the organization six months ago. Her six-year-old son was born with a very serious pre-existing condition and she was therefore driven to work with legislators to pass health care reform. Felicia has actively spread the word about the ACA in North Carolina and leads the Wellness Wonder Team.
Nicole Duritz, Alexandria, Virginia As Vice President of Health and Family for AARP’s Education & Outreach group, Nicole leads AARP’s public education efforts on a variety of issues, including health security, Medicare, and the ACA. Nicole – a mother of 11-year-old twin boys – manages a team that develops and designs consumer-focused resources and tools to ensure that the 50+ population has the information and support necessary to make decisions on critical life issues.