Krugman re Obamacare: What matters is how the thing works — and that, in turn, depends crucially on

[pampango]

sufficient numbers of young, currently uninsured people signing up for the exchanges. Advocates will try to get those people signed up; Republicans will try to convince them not to. So how are the two sides’ chances.

Well, let’s think about who we’re talking about: Young. Currently uninsured, which generally means not very affluent, and also tends to mean nonwhite more than average. In other words, basically the opposite of the profile of Tea Party backers. Also, by the way, more or less the opposite of midterm voters.

Fortunately for Obama, this field of battle favors his side. To pass the law, he needed to win over skeptical senators. To defend it in court, he needed conservative jurists. But identifying and persuading young people is a battle Obama does not expect to lose to Republicans ...

I don’t know whether anyone thought this out in advance, but the battle of the exchanges is indeed being fought on remarkably favorable ground for the reformers. And I, for one, find the thought of conservatives humiliated by an army of tweeting hipsters remarkably cheering.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/attack-of-the-killer-hipsters/?_r=0

[Scuba]

1. Convincing young people to buy health insurance may be more difficult than one would think.

Especially since many/most are already struggling financially. And it's healthy young people who are most needed.

The President will have to be very charming to persuade the numbers needed after all the negative messaging by the right.

[1-Old-Man]

2. I'm afraid you may only be half right

I do not thing you're wrong in that its hard to get a person who has no money to buy something they haven't needed but I do think its a mistake to think that the forces of the very wealthy will not be able to convey a message to them that basically reaffirms the part you're right about. All they really have to do is convince the poor its too expensive to even window shop, and if they have been successful at getting this message to the middle class (people who are already paying for health insurance) it should't be any problem to get this message out to the poor.

[ProSense]

3. Maybe not:

Even Young Republicans Want Health Insurance
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/even-republican-young-adults-want-health-insurance-poll-finds-6C10963044

Don’t Worry, Young People Won’t Avoid Signing Up For Obamacare
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/09/10/2595561/poll-finds-young-people-save-obamacare/

[Scuba]

4. Hope you're right.