A Real Obamacare Death Panel (With Update)

Earlier today, President Obama announced that at least 7.1 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through exchanges during the Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period.  In his speech, Obama said: “There are still no death panels. Armageddon has not arrived. Instead, this law is helping millions of Americans.”

Although the President is right that Armageddon has not arrived and the ACA is helping millions of people, he is wrong about one thing -- there is in fact an Obamacare Death Panel, and the members of that panel are Rick Perry, Rick Scott, Nathan Deal, Pat McCrory, Tom Corbett, Bill Haslam, Bobby Jindal, Mike Pence, Robert Bentley, Nikki Haley, Mary Fallin, Phil Bryant, Scott Walker, Sam Brownback, Gary Herbert, Butch Otter, Dave Heineman, Steve Bullock, Dennis Daugaard, Sean Parnell, Paul LePage, and Matt Mead.

The folks populating this list are the Republican governors of the states that are refusing to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.  As the President said today, millions of Americans still remain uncovered "in part because governors in some states for political reasons have deliberately refused to expand coverage under this law."  What he did not say is that this GOP hissy fit is going to lead to the death of thousands of Americans.

According to a recent report published by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the number of deaths attributable to the lack of Medicaid expansion in opt-out states will be between 7,115 and 17,104 per year. Way to go, GOP.

Anyway, when things are going bad for the Republicans, I always turn on Fox News because it is usually hilarious.  Well, tonight did not disappoint.  Megyn Kelly had this pissy tone of voice as she started her program by trotting out the usual GOP anti-Obamacare talking points. And Bill O'Lielly was so angry over the Obamacare news that he actually started out his program with a segment on . . . wait for it . . .  Benghazi! (I swear I am not making that last part up).

Bottom line: a bad day for the GOP and Fox News always means a great day for America.

UPDATE:  Some Republicans are finally starting to realize the problems associated with putting all their eggs in the ObamaCare basket for 2014 (from The Hill):

Anxious Senate Republicans are worried party leaders are focusing too much this election year on ObamaCare and not enough on jobs and the economy.  The concern among GOP centrists comes as President Obama and congressional Democrats are crowing about a surge in late enrollments and claiming the political winds are shifting around the Affordable Care Act. ***

[S]ome Republicans, including a senator who requested anonymity, fear the issue’s potency could fade following the March 31 enrollment deadline as news media move to other stories. “It’s got to be a much broader appeal than one piece of legislation,” said [GOP Sen. Dean] Heller, who isn’t up for reelection in 2014.

Heller’s comments are strikingly similar to those from Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and other Democrats who say voters are not as focused on ObamaCare as Republicans believe.

Well, look on the bright side, Republicans -- you'll always have Benghazi! to fall back on.