Just this week, the evidence is overwhelming, with good news at the state and national level. We’re seeing encouraging results when it comes to hospitals, prescription-drug savings, and consumer rebates.
But sometimes, you need an image — or in this case, two related images — to drive the point home. Consider the before-and-after maps out of Kentucky.
Joe Sonka reported yesterday:
This week we mentioned the amazing new numbers from Kentucky’s Department of Medicaid Services on what the Affordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid has meant for the state. Perhaps the most notable piece of information is the county-by-county map of how the uninsured rate has plummeted, especially in eastern Kentucky. On the House floor on Wednesday, Congressman John Yarmuth made sure to show this map to all of his Republican colleagues who want to repeal the law and most of those Kentuckians’ coverage:
It may be a little hard to see the maps in the video, but Yarmuth tweeted the graphic. The top map shows the uninsured rate in each of Kentucky’s 120 counties — orange and red show the counties with the worst figures. The bottom map shows the shift in each county following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act — green and blue point to the areas with higher percentages of insurance.
In all, how many of Kentucky’s 120 counties saw improvements in their residents access to medical care? Literally all of them.
“Obamacare” works in areas where committed public officials have tried to make it work. It’s as simple as that.
As for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) continued insistence that the ACA has failed, all he has to do is look at his own home state to see how very wrong he is.
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."