Obamacare Kills People 'Literally': Citizens' Reactions to Michele Bachmann's Congress Statement
Obamacare kills people, "literally," said Michele Bachmann on the floor of Congress this morning.
No stranger to controversy, or to exaggeration, the outspoken Tea Party spokeswoman who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2012 is once again making media waves for her statement that Obamacare kills people, literally, with the Affordable Care Act.
"That's why we're here: Because we're saying let's repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens," Bachmann said.
"Let's not do that. Let's love people. Let's care about people. Let's repeal it now while we can."
Bachmann was calling on the House to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, which passed three years ago, when she said "Obamacare kills people." She insisted that American people "pay more and get less" under Obamacare.
She later came back to the floor to describe Medicaid, the existing health care program for low-income Americans, as a "ghetto":
"Here's the one that no American wants to be in. It's the Medicaid ghetto," she said.
"And that's where the lowest possible care, where very few doctors will be available available to offer this kind of care."
According to ThinkProgress, the Affordable Care Act has so far "saved seniors over $6 billion on prescription drugs, reduced administrative overhead, deterred private insurers from requesting double digit premium increases, kept millions of young people on their parents' health care plans, and provided 34.1 million people with Medicare preventive services without additional cost-sharing."
Bachmann's statement that Obamacare kills people follows Congressional Republicans' latest attempt to repeal the signature healthcare law, which they have already failed to accomplish almost 40 times.
Bachmann seems to be on a tailspin of exaggeration recently- her claims at last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference failed the Washington Post fact checker's Pinocchio test four times over.
Bachmann's comments that Obamacare kills people drew fierce reactions from American citizens on Twitter throughout the day, including CNN anchor Anderson Cooper:
Michele #Bachmann now claims Obamacare will "literally" kill women, children, and seniors... we are checking her facts @ac360 8/10p
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) March 21, 2013
Michele Bachmann says Obamacare will "literally kill people." Adding, "Hyperbole will literally strangle your grandmother in her sleep."
— Miles Kahn (@mileskahn) March 21, 2013
If stupidity killed, she'd be a WMD. RT Michele Bachmann: Obamacare Will 'Literally' Kill People thkpr.gs/Yr6l7v @thinkprogress
— DrLearnALot (@DrLearnALot) March 21, 2013
Michele Bachmann is nothing more than a factual sinkhole.
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) March 21, 2013
Michele Bachmann is literally the dumbest, two-legged mouth breather ever to have been elected to Congress. thkpr.gs/Yr6l7v #ACA #p2
— мaтт (@thepoliticat) March 21, 2013
Obamacare does NOT kill. Lack of #HealthCare DOES kill. Michelle Bachmann is either a fool or a sociopath.
— Frank Lee Plain (@FrankLeePlain) March 22, 2013
Many users mocked Bachmann's inaccurate use of the term "literally" in saying that Obamacare kills people, with the hashtag #literally:
Really? BACHMANN: Let's repeal [Obamacare] before it #literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens. thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03...
— Lindsey Tepe (@l_tepe) March 21, 2013
Michele Bachmann thinks Obamacare kills people. huff.to/YIoQQJ #literally
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) March 21, 2013
#literally RT @thinkprogress: Michele Bachmann: Obamacare "literally kills women, kills children" thkpr.gs/Yr6l7v
— CD (@REALchrisdavis) March 21, 2013
"Let's repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens" -Michelle Bachmann, speaking figuratively
— BadDad936 (@BadDad936) March 22, 2013