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Public opinion is becoming increasingly hostile to the ACA (Affordable Care Act). Leading up the Supreme Court’s decision, CBS released a new poll showing 41% of the population wants the ACA repealed. That’s up from 37%. What's scary is that fewer and fewer people are saying they want to keep the bill or only eliminate the mandate.
How on earth did we get here? While not perfect, the ACA is good policy. It will reduce the deficit and the number of uninsured.
New Pew Research Center data provide insight into the growing number of opponents. Pew conducted a study of how often news broadcasts used terms supporting the ACA versus not supporting the ACA.
![[ table: click blog title to view in browser ]](/assets/uploads/article/hc_opponents.png)
This table shows conservative messaging, not the actual merits of their health care vision, is prevailing, with a score of 18,181 total mentions of conservative buzz words versus 10,883 of progressive points. How did we wind up 8,000 points behind?
It can't be all Fox News’ fault!
Would things be different had ACA supporters been more successful at messaging all of the ACA's benefits? Or would the better strategy have been to highlight the "death panels" that insurance companies already deploy?
Progressives thought "hope" of a better health care policy would help America realize the ACA's value. However, that's complex and takes more than a 90-second news clip to explain. Conservatives exploited fear, which is simpler to grasp and plays better in a tight news segment. Progressives need to find a mechanism to balance them out.
Not by stooping to their level. Instead, the arguement should be about social justice. We should have turned the focus on the people going without insurance. The millions of Americans that want insurance but can't get it because of pre-exsisting conditions. The millions more that lost their insurance when they lost their jobs. It should be about our fundemental responsibility to each other as part of a community. Guilt trips are more effective than fear tatics and hope.
The future of American health care, and its sickest people, rests on the shoulders of 9 people. I hope the Supreme Court does not listen to the polls, and bases their decision on the facts. At this point, all we can do it wait with fingers crossed. But, there is an important lesson to take away regardless of how SCOTUS rules: we need to be more active in pushing, explaining, and discussing good policy. Essentially, we need to get more points on the scoreboard.
Posted in Health Care | Related Topics: Media Courts & Justice Health Care Reform
2 Comments
June 26, 2012 at 11:39 am
I hope also, but I think I’m going to be disappointed.
I know it’s complex, but I think if the government had take 3 or 4 benefits, such as no longer excluding children with pre-existing conditions, keeping children on their parents’ policies until age 26, not cutting off benefits after a certain, arbitrary number, would have helped. I don’t know that that was made clear.
I think much more could have been done to highlight the plight of so many people who do not have or lose their health insurance and what happens to them. And the costs of not treating them, vs. the long-term costs of treating them—included taxes the health individuals would now pay.
Bernice Vetsch says:
June 28, 2012 at 8:00 am
Another excellent ACA benefit is that the government now picks up half the cost of drugs that seniors who fall into the doughnut hole have been paying full price for while continuing to pay their drug coverage premiums for the rest of the year.
This provision is saving me about $2,400 per year at $400 per month for the six months I am essentially uninsured for drugs. Thousands of other Medicare patients face the same or similar extra expense every year if the ACA is struck down by the Supreme Court.
Supporters of health care for all may want to rally with TakeAction Minnesota at 11:00 Friday, June 29, in front of the Government Center in Minneapolis. The rally will take place no matter what the Court decides today.