The Affordable Care Act is the new law governing healthcare in the United States of America. It’s called THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, not Obamacare. The difference in terminology is the subject of this post…

Universal healthcare is something I’ve been hearing about since I was very young. Other countries have managed to make it work and while we tried for decades to make it happen, it took until 2009 for it to actually happen. And to be fair, The Affordable Care Act is not really universal healthcare – its a hybrid.

In general, other programs are funded through taxation – in whole or in part. The terms vary from country to country, but, mostly taxation covers the costs. The Affordable Care Act works more like a brokerage account. All of the options are put in front of the investor and the one that works best for the investor is the one for which they get to join and pay. Taxation only becomes relevant if you don’t sign up for something. Then it’s called a fine.

The government doesn’t talk much about the subsidized portion of The Affordable Care Act… at least not with us. BUT, the subsidized portion is what our leaders continue to fight about in Washington. And where there’s fighting, there’s name calling. OBAMACARE!

Here’s the problem: Name calling is actually a propaganda technique. The spreading of ideas or information to further or damage a cause and therefore reach a goal. The difficulty is by whom the propaganda is being perpetuated…

Think of it like this: The use of the term Obamacare is a tell. One might as well just show their cards and fold.

So, it’s understandable that the Republican Party and other conservatives who aren’t in favor of The Affordable Care Act have created this term – Obamacare – and continued to use it as a weapon. Got it. It’s not a compliment. Opponents of President Obama will use the term as an insult. But, as I continue to read articles and watch political shows and news magazines, journalists are using the word. I think this is irresponsible…

We have three branches of government: Executive, legislative and judicial. The Affordable Care Act has made it’s way through all three branches. It was created by the president… sent to Congress for ratification and then had to be scrutinized and confirmed as valid by the Supreme Court after it passed. It’s a law on the books. journalist should be treating it as such…

We know our Congress represents the farthest ends of the spectrum in political ideas and will fight it out for their position. But, our job as journalists is to simply report the facts. If a Republican calls it Obamacare, the journalist should attribute. I’m not seeing that. Journalists are using the term just as regularly/casually/fluidly and those who’ve taken a side. Journalists don’t have a side – we’re in the middle…

I find it curious that no one has said a word about this…

As time goes by, I continue to observe who uses the term and who doesn’t. It’s obvious; I hear no Democrats using the term. I only hear conservatives and journalists using the term. It’s a tell. I wonder if that means the liberal media has become the conservative media? Has the bias turned from Democrats to Republicans?

I deduce no. My deduction is that it’s less about knowing that they’re taking sides and more about journalists not being mindful of their integrity. Journalism has taken a back seat to celebrity. Modern society has substituted the story and unbiased information for the importance of the individual. Now the journalist is more important than the story.

So when they’re writing the story or conducting an interview, its as if they’re just hanging out with their friends – not working in their official capacity. That has to stop…

And it’s not as if today’s journalist doesn’t have more than enough content from which to work. The truth about The Affordable Care Act is that it’s having some problems. There’s actually no need to take sides because, while the purpose of the act is to be a benefit to Americans, the implementation is not going well.

This is such a ripe opportunity for journalists to truly stand in the middle and force their subjects to defend their position. Ask Democrats who built the website that’s not working? Ask who didn’t account for the proper manpower to handle demand? And where are the fines for the healthcare providers who are dropping insured instead of amending their plans?

Ask Republicans if they did a cost/benefit analysis of shutting down the government as opposed to asking the above questions or being a part of the team who fixes the problems. Are republicans reaching out to their constituents in the healthcare industry and asking them to work with the act, not against it? It is a law…

My thought is that Americans would be happier with a Congress that’s fixing problems instead of causing new ones or letting us suffer just to see the president fall on his face. Mommy and Daddy should know better than to let the kids suffer just so they can stick it to each other…

So, the next time you hear someone – anyone – use the term Obamacare, ask them if they consider themselves a conservative. It is a tell. With any luck, we can minimize the amount of bias we perpetuate and get to the real value of The Affordable Care Act.

Have at it…