Posted on 08/30/2011 11:52:28 AM PDT by Libloather
Most Americans Still Have No Idea What the Health Care Law Does
Nona Willis Aronowitz - Associate Editor
August 29, 2011 • 3:00 pm PDT
It's now been more than a year since President Obama signed the much-debated—and much-maligned—Affordable Care Act, and even longer since the details of the bill dominated the airwaves. It seems all that time has taken a toll on our memories. A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the number of Americans who understand what's in the health care bill is declining.
The Hill points out that last summer, 72 percent of people polled were aware that the new law will provide financial assistance to people who must buy insurance on their own, rather than getting it from an employer. Now, that number is down to 58 percent. While two-thirds of respondents last year knew the law expands Medicaid, fewer than half know that now. Just 29 percent knew that the law eliminates copays for some preventive services, and half said the law did not provide that benefit—despite the Department of Health's recent announcement that it would require plans to make birth control and other women’s health services copay-free.
This is what happens when sweeping legislation takes years to be enacted; most provisions of the health care bill won't take effect until 2014, though some have already taken effect. But major parts of the bill, like the individual mandate or the elimination of annual limits for insurance coverage, are still years away from being put into practice.
Given this astounding gap, can you blame people for hating "Obamacare" when all they hear about is the president getting sued for the law being unconstitutional, or businesses planning to drop coverage from their plans? Nancy Pelosi may have gotten a lot of heat for saying "we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it," but it turns out she's right. We won't be able to judge public opinion on the Affordable Care Act until Americans tangibly feel its effect.
Meanwhile, if you need a refresher on what the health care bill does, the government has a useful timeline and the Kaiser Foundation has a pretty thorough explainer (pdf). For an even more abridged summary, check out this very cute video.
Cute Commiecare™ video - keep your eye on the little Uncle Scam and his money collecting bucket.
“Most Americans Still Have No Idea What the Health Care Law Does”
Neither does anyone else.
Since the republican leadership have went AWOL on the issue what do you expect.
I'm sick and tired of this admonishment from the supporters of Obamacare. They are the ones who have no idea what this health care law does and will do. I can tell from the way they ascribe all sorts of miracles and promises to it.
"and everybody will have access to medical care and the debt and deficit will be reduced, and the country will save money in the long run and everybody will be more healthier, and health care costs will be cheaper and....and...and...."
We are in the business of providing health insurance, and no one here has any idea either. Talk to feds in charge of implementing the thing, they’ll be sure to give you a different answer each time, on even the simplest issue.
My “benchmark liberal” doesn’t care that she doesn’t understand what it does and simply asserts that it’s better that the government control health care than having the insurance companies doing it.
Bookmark
I do.
It will bankrupt the private healthcare industry.
All of it.
It’s 1000+ pages of economic sabbotage.
“I do.
It will bankrupt the private healthcare industry.
All of it.”
Yes, that’s the nub of it. It probably does a lot else, as well. Who knows, there could be an “Obama President For Life” clause in there.
bump
People will find out when they watch granny or handicapped sister suffer and die for socialist health care savings and shortages. Americans are dangerously dumb...but this is the wave of our future. No turning back what we have permitted the left to do in their long march through our educational and media organizations.
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