Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show offers GOP home remedies for Obamacare repeal
By Hector Cruz
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs a fake PSA providing everyday solutions to health issues for when the GOP repeals Obamacare without a replacement.
The Republican Party has run on repealing Obamacare for several years. Now that they have control of all three branches of government, it was expected that this would be at the top of their agenda, but instead they are mired in disagreements over whether they should quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act without having a replacement, or wait until they come up with an alternative down the road. In the meantime, GOP congressman have been getting in earful from angry constituents back home during rowdy town hall meetings around the country where ACA supporters have expressed their concerns about a possible repeal without a replacement, offering that they should simply improve the law instead.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert exploited these fears in a public service announcement during Tuesday’s cold open where a Republican Party spokeswoman provides alternative treatments for several ailments for when the GOP succeeds in repealing the healthcare bill.
“Recently there’s been a lot of concern out there that Obamacare is going to be repealed without a replacement. That’s simply not true,” said the woman while standing in a kitchen. “There’s a perfectly fine alternative to Obamacare: home remedies.”
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“Can’t stop scratching an itchy rash? she asked. “Easy, wear cheese graters as gloves. Broken bone? No problem. Visit a cemetery. They have all the unbroken bones you could want. All it takes is a shovel and a lifetime of being plagued by the undead.”
You should also have some vodka handy to help alleviate back pain and an open wound, including drinking it from a gauze for sterilization or a big bowl filled with ice.
Lastly, her tip for affordable birth control: “Go to Target on a Saturday, visit the toy aisle, and remind yourself, ‘I can just walk away.’”
Watch the full clip below:
The repeal efforts come at a time when Obamacare is gaining in popularity, with a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday showing that voters are now evenly split on the law — 45 perfect approve of the ACA, while the same amount disapprove. There’s actually been a seven point drop among registered voters who oppose the law since Donald Trump took office, and an increase of four points among those who approve. It also shows that nearly every aspect of the law is popular except the individual mandate.
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on CBS.