FixHealthCarePolicy

Morning Bell: “The American Public Is Not Behind This Bill”

After more than a year of $862 billion deficit stimulus bills, national-debt-doubling federal budgets, and government takeovers of the auto industry, it is difficult to remember that President Barack Obama actually ran as a moderate in many ways. On his way to a 53% – 46% win over Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), then-Sen. Obama promised to “cut taxes for 95% of workers and their families,” expand the Army by 65,000 and the Marines by 27,000, and enact “a net spending cut” for the federal government. Obama promised lower taxes, a strong defense and shrinking the size of government. No wonder independents in nine states that went for President George Bush in 2000 and 2004 switched their vote to Obama in 2008 (CO, FL, IN, IA, NV, NM, NC, OH and VA). But now those independents are beginning to reassess. Public Policy Polling (a liberal polling firm) notes that Obama now has a negative approval rating in every state that he flipped from the Bush column to his in 2008.

And now President Obama has lost one of his biggest and earliest supporters on his signature issue: health care. Yesterday, when pressed on CNBC if he would be in favor of scrapping the Senate health care bill, Warren Buffett responded: “I would be.” Specifically, Buffett believes that the Senate bill will not contain health care costs: “We have a health system that, in terms of cost, is really out of control, and if you take this line and you project what has been happening into the future, we will get less and less competitive. So, we need something else. Unfortunately, we came up with a bill that really doesn’t attack the cost situation that much and we have to have a fundamental change.” Buffett is correct on both fronts: 1) the President’s own Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has reported that the Senate health care bill would raise national health expenditures $234 billion by 2019; and 2) our current system is completely unable to control exploding health care costs. (more…)

Tags: deficit, Medicaid Expansion, national debt, ObamaCare, price controls, public opinion, Senate Health Bill, start over, Warren Buffett

Morning Bell: The White House Learned Nothing from Massachusetts

In July of last year, the American people were mostly undecided about Obamacare: equal numbers opposed and supported the health care bills that the White House was shepherding through Congress. But then August happened and informed Americans turned out at townhalls across the country to express their strong disapproval of Obamacare. The larger American public noticed and pluralities of the American people began to oppose Obamacare. The White House concluded they had a “communications problem” so they scheduled a prime time speech in front of a rare Joint Session of Congress. But the President’s speech arrogantly dismissed the concerns of the American people and after a brief uptick in support (from the low 40s to the mid 40s), opposition to the President’s plan grew.

Then in November, liberals lost governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia as opposition to President Obama’s signature policy priority inched towards 50%. Again the White House concluded that nothing was wrong with their policy agenda and they dismissed their setbacks in two states that had voted for President Barack Obama as local elections with weak candidates. Instead of rethinking their policies and procedures the White House doubled down and pushed for a speedy passage of Obamacare with as little debate as possible. Over the next two months the White House bought support for their health care plan with the Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kickback, and big labor tax breaks. And their behind-closed-doors, backroom-deal tactics almost worked … until Massachusetts happened. (more…)

Tags: Cornhusker Kickback, Health Care Summit, Louisiana Purchase, Massachusetts election, ObamaCare, public opinion, transparency

Manufactured Momentum & Support for ObamaCare Screeching to Halt

The Obama Administration’s health care reform agenda is stalled, but still alive. But there is a huge change. Last year, Congressional leaders wanted the thousands of pages of complex legislation enacted before the August recess. It was urgent, they insisted, thousands were losing their coverage daily. Now, however, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pulled a 180-degree in his quest to ramrod a massive health care bill through Congress this year. Telling reporters this week that “we’re not on health care now,” Reid gave this telling quote: “There is no rush.”

The big change is that public opinion, especially when registered at the ballot box, is consequential. American voters will hold Congress accountable for imposing on them laws and rules and regulations that they do not want, while attempting to takeover one-sixth of the nation’s economy. Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown’s win corresponds with what many opinion polls have shown — that the public doesn’t want Washington securing more power of their health care decisions and dollars.

(more…)

Tags: ballot box, competition, ObamaCare, personal choice, public opinion, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, start over

Another Poll, More Proof America Does Not Want Obamacare

NBC News reports:

“As the Senate sprints to pass a health-care bill by Christmas, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that those believing President Obama’s health-reform plan is a good idea has sunk to its lowest level.

Just 32 percent say it’s a good idea, versus 47 percent who say it’s a bad idea.” (more…)

Tags: Obama Health Care Plan, public opinion

Public Support for ObamaCare Collapses under the Facts

When it comes to ObamaCare, poll after poll shows the public can be fairly supportive—until they realize how much they stand to personally lose. Americans have told pollsters for months about fears that their health coverage will disappear. They’re also reporting unprecedented concern that health reform will only add to the nation’s out-of-control federal deficits. And no matter how much the Administration says other people will pay for health reform (i.e., the rich), the American people know better.

Republican pollster Bill McInturff agrees. He told us at a health care press chat that Heritage regularly hosts: “In the broader context, there is heightened concern about general government and the page of government spending. And health care spending isn’t some huge abstract from those issues – it’s directly connected.” (more…)

Tags: health reform, Individual Mandate, public opinion, public option

Poll: Public Opinion of ObamaCare Now Bad or Worse than HillaryCare in 1994

A new national survey out from Public Opinion Strategies, an Alexandria, Va., survey research company that has done several polls on health care reform, shows Americans’ see President Barack Obama’s health care agenda as nearly the same way they did for President Bill Clinton’s plan in 1994.  

Company co-founder and partner Bill McInturff in a press release called the data “highly problematic” for Obama, saying it highlights the struggle his administration and Democratic leadership have had in promoting their health agenda to the public .

The survey — conducted August 11‑13 among 800 registered voters — offers nearly identical results of public opinion now versus June 1994, when the company conducted a similar survey:

– Back then, 67 percent of American adults were familiar with Clinton’s plan. Today, 64 of Americans say they’re familiar with Obama’s plan.

– Even more Americans are opposed to Obama’s health agenda than Clinton’s (37 percent today versus 35 percent in 1994).

The survey notes that opposition to Obama’s health care reform “does not just run along partisan lines.” Key groups like seniors, women and independents express the same level of opposition or more to Obama’s plan as they did to Clinton’s plan 15 years ago, the survey said.

Tags: HillaryCare, ObamaCare, public opinion