Kellyanne Conway

Kellyanne Conway has gone on a Sunday talk show, which means it’s once again time to play “Is she that ignorant or that dishonest?” Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Conway managed to insist both that Medicaid won't be cut (a lie) and that it’s just fine for Republicans to slash Medicaid, because too many people get it anyway and lots of them should quit being lazy:

"Obamacare took Medicaid, which was designed to help the poor, the needy, the sick, disabled, also children and pregnant women, it took it and went way above the poverty line to many able-bodied Americans," she said. They "should probably find other — at least see if there are other options for them." Conway went on: "If they are able-bodied and they want to work, then they'll have employer-sponsored benefits like you and I do."

“If they are able-bodied and they want to work, then they’ll have employer-sponsored benefits like you and I do.” Does Conway also believe that anyone who gets a job will also have a six-figure salary like she does? Because neither health insurance nor six-figure salaries come standard with jobs in this country. In fact, a majority of people on Medicaid who can work—able-bodied adults, in other words—do work. But too many jobs in this country offer low wages and no benefits, so they neither get employer-sponsored benefits “like you and I do” nor can afford insurance on what they’re paid. Here’s the reality Conway is too ignorant to understand or too dishonest to admit:

Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation bears that out: "Among Medicaid adults (including parents and childless adults — the group targeted by the Medicaid expansion) nearly 8 in 10 live in working families, and a majority are working themselves." Fifty-nine percent of them work either part or full time. Their jobs, however, do not offer health insurance.

But sure, they should just magically get health insurance somehow from jobs that don’t offer it. Reality, of course, won’t be magical. It will be millions of people losing their Medicaid coverage and not getting the medical care they need.

Make your Republican senator feel the heat. Call their office EVERY DAY at (202) 224-3121 to demand that they say NO to ripping health care away from millions of Americans. No on Trumpcare. Then, tell us how it went.