Support for Affordable Care Act Hits New Low

[slipslidingaway]

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/10/28/support-for-affordable-care-act-hits-new-low/

"Support for the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration’s signature health care law, has hit a record low. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll, only 34 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the new law, while 51 percent have an unfavorable view of the law.

The drop in overall support for the law was mainly driven by Democrats turning against it. The law lost 13 points of support from Democrats in the past month and now, amazingly, barely a majority of Democrats hold a favorable opinion of Obama’s biggest accomplishment.

...I suspect the recent decision by the Obama administration to drop the CLASS provision didn’t help. Plus, the law is known as “Obamacare” and Obama’s current standing with the American people has also dropped, which likely pulled down support for his signature law also.

I still think by far the biggest problem for the law is that it hasn’t really done anything to help people yet. If some or all of the coverage expansion had kicked in already,, there would at least be a reason for people to re-examine their opinions about the law. Instead, we had the Democrats give the impression they took care of the uninsured problem, and after two years there are more uninsured than when the law passed. The Democrats’ decision to delay the start of the coverage expansion until 2014 is by far one of the worst and totally avoidable mistakes ever made by a political party."

[Zorra]

1. Mistake? I don't think so. They were serving the insurance industry.

They made a lot of huge, unbelievable "mistakes" in service of various wealthy private interests.

When I first read the bill I thought to myself, "What are they doing? Are they crazy? This is going to kill our chances for getting single payer universal healthcare forever."

I keep hoping I am so very wrong.

Support OWS!

[slipslidingaway]

8. Agreed, there was no mistake. Clinton and Obama both helped block discussions...

of a national HC system, but we are supposed to believe it was solely the responsibility of the Repubs.

:think:

If ever there was a time to open the discussion of a national HC system funded by taxes it was this past election cycle when millions of boomers would transfer to Medicare and leave the for profit companies with less customers. It was the ideal time, instead any talk was silenced from the Obama administration from the very beginning.

Now we hear talks of cutting Medicare as it is not sustainable, who could have envisioned that scenario. The boomers were just a year old last year ... or so we should believe.

We should also believe the fraudulent mortgages started in 2008, that is another topic, but also reveals what is being fed to the American people.

And yes, "Support OWS!"

[BlueDemKev]

2. Shit....

...guys, we HAVE to preserve the health reform law. I recently had to switch from a group to an individual plan....Cigna and BCBS rejected me due to "pre-existing conditions" and Aetna agreed to accept me, but with a 100% mark-up in the premium. The good think is that now that I'm insured, Aetna cannot cancel my coverage later if and when I become sick. This pre-existing exclusion bulshit MUST stop. We absolutely MUST preserve the Affordable Care Act, no matter what it takes.

[slipslidingaway]

9. There are some good portions, but realize what was given up was any discussion of a not for profit .

HC system and still millions will be without insurance and millions will be mandated to buy insurance and still not be able to go to a doctor's office for routine check ups.

If we want to boost the economy and the entrepreneurial spirit then remove the burden of for profit HC.

[BlueDemKev]

21. Agreed, but the real problem is the cost of medical care itself.....

...even if we had a public insurance program or a non-profit insurance co-ops, the revenue the insurance provider takes in still has to at least match the outrageous costs of medical care. Reducing the costs of medical care won't happen overnight. It will take years (probably decades) of research, etc. Right now, we need to preserve what we have....NO MORE pre-existing medical conditions exclusions and NO MORE cancelling our existing coverage AFTER we become sick!! We absolutely cannot go back to the way it was.

[slipslidingaway]

25. That is why we needed to discuss ALL options. Many countries have figured out a way ...

to provide care to everyone for a lower cost, we should have examined those programs in more detail.

[BlueDemKev]

26. Yeah, but other countries.....

....don't about 40% of their populations being die-hard, regressive, hyper-individualistic, right-wing conservatives. Sadly, we have to deal with what we've got here in America.

[FarLeftFist]

3. That sounds about right being I only like about 34% of it.

[slipslidingaway]

11. And obviously you are not alone. n/t

[Matariki]

4. Let's see - a law that mandates purchasing a crap product from a corrupt industry.

Can't imagine why no one likes that :eyes:

[Kaleko]

7. +++++ 100000

[slipslidingaway]

12. Exactly and this corrupt industry was given a seat at the table while doctors who ...

advocated for a not for profit system were left standing at the WH gates. What is not to like!

[EC]

5. I'm sure many of the 51% are in the group we are

that it didn't go nearly far enough. I'm also sure many of that 51% wanted Medicare for all or a similar program. I'm also sure many of that 51% don't want it repealed, just improved by cutting out the insurance companies.

[FarLeftFist]

6. True, plus people are seeing their costs go up and equate the 2.

[slipslidingaway]

14. In the polls two-thirds wanted a national HC system, but they never got a seat at the table. n/t

[JDPriestly]

10. So far, the Act hasn't helped anyone much.

Most of the provisions haven't taken force. It is just ridiculous at this point -- pretty meaningless for ordinary people. It has given a little relief to a very few, but not any for most.

Why they had to delay the effect of the Act is beyond me -- unless they didn't really want it to go in effect, hoped it would fail.

Why did Obama support this and agree with it?

[slipslidingaway]

15. Still shaking my head, all he had to do was allow a free discussion of all ideas to take...

place to at least advance the issue, we got just the opposite, with the ever changing PO.

IMHO it was just a distraction from universal HC, the Third Way even published talking points 'do not say universal HC.'

:(

[eridani]

19. It has helped people, but the numbers are too small for political clout n/t

[BlueDemKev]

22. Most of the provisions ARE in effect....

Insurance companies can no longer cancel your existing coverage after you become sick

Children may no longer be denied coverage due to "pre-existing conditions".

Insurance companies are now mandated to pay at least 85% of their premium revenue on MEDICAL CLAIMS, not on salaries & administrative costs

Young adults may remain on their parents' plan until the age of 26 (helps college students & recent graduates)


The only major thing that hasn't gone into effect yet is the ban on "pre-existing conditions" for adults, which will come in 2014. This provision not only prohibits insurance companies from denying somebody coverage (because of stuff like "seasonal allergies"--WHICH CAUSED AETNA TO DOUBLE MY PREMIUM), but also prohibits insurance companies from charging those with PEC's extra. One drawback of course, is it will increase everybody's premiums to an extent (to cover the increased costs of paying for a sick person's claims), but so what? I'd rather pay a little extra knowing that I'm insured and CANNOT BE DENIED OR DROPPED FOR ANY REASON.

Anybody who wants the Affordable Care Act repealed is either completely stupid or a hyper-individualist (oh wait, they're the same!).

[TorchTheWitch]

23. they didn't want it to go into effect until after the election

because they know how much we are going to get royally burned by it and would never vote for the pres who pushed the piece of shit through.

[Sgent]

13. I'm so happy

I go from paying $345 / month for insurance to not having any, or getting myself back on disability and getting Medicare (a much worse policy) which only costs $900 / month if I want to leave disability.

[slipslidingaway]

16. Everyone's premiums were going to drop by 2000 + or so we were told...

the out of pocket annual maximum, not the annual deductible, can be a real burden.

Bottom line, it should not be this hard for people, unless we want to keep the for profit companies in business.

:(

[Sgent]

17. I honestly don't know the specifics

I just get so upset when there are people claiming this law was useless... Its far, far from perfect, and we got the raw end of the compromise, but even that was better than what we had by leaps and bounds.

[slipslidingaway]

18. Trust me you'll know the specifics when you have a serious illness...

my husband just celebrated his one year birthday after a stem cell transplant for acute leukemia. We had to stay near the transplant center for the first 100 days and lived at a Hope Lodge center with people who had access to a variety of care under various policies.

Everyone should be given a chance at life, this bill does not do that, but it does open the door for a few. Frustrated that once again the Dems blocked discussion of a national HC for everyone.

[janet118]

20. I tried to explain to people what we were going through . . .

in Massachusetts during the debate. The public option was the only thing that would have made a difference here. All the talk from Gov. Patrick about "insuring" 95% of Mass. residents with a combination of employee, CHIPS, Medicare/Medicaid, and veterans is crap. Small businesses and unemployed are left out, co-pays are rising, and lots of people who may be technically insured are not even going to their doctors or buying drugs because they can't afford their portion of the payment. Sure, insurance companies have to insure you if you have a pre-existing condition now, but they make you pay big bucks for that privilege. It is a cover up and a band-aid. The costs and rates are still going up because the law offers no real way to stop the insurance, care provider, and drug companies from raising their prices at will. It is Romney Care and now it's Obama Care. Whatever it's called - it sucks.

I'm hoping that Vermont and Montana are able to pass real universal health care and lead the way for the rest of the country.

[slipslidingaway]

24. Many pointed to the fact that little was being done to reduce costs and also that ...

many people will shy away, or not be able, to use the HC system because of deductibles etc. For profit companies will try and shift increased costs to patients and providers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-medicaid-20111028,0,4273464.story

"The Obama administration will allow California to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Medi-Cal, a move doctors and experts say will make it harder for the poor to get medical treatment.

...Medicaid pays for medical care for nearly 60 million people nationwide and is jointly funded by states and the federal government. But shrinking state revenue and increasing numbers of enrollees have forced states to cut costs to make up budget deficits. Stimulus money postponed the effects of the recession, but that extra federal funding dried up in June.

A 50-state survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation on Thursday showed that nearly every state has required co-payments, eliminated benefits, moved more patients into managed care or taken other actions to reduce costs. Like California, many states are also trying to control spending by reducing payments to doctors..."

[Jack Sprat]

27. Just when people needed affordable cars the worst. n/t