WSJ has a column by Heather Higgins and Hadley Heath that describes what happens when you tell independent voters about the real costs of ObamaCare. Ms. Higgins is president and CEO of Independent Women's Voice, educational advocacy organization that calls for the elimination of ObamaCare. Ms. Heath is a policy analyst with Independent Women's Forum which is a sister organization.
Over one week in mid-September, IWV conducted a message test among independent voters in 24,000 households spread over four states. The goal was to see if simply providing the facts about the true costs of the health law would affect popular support. Would independents, once they were educated about little-known but very real aspects of ObamaCare's popular elements, change their minds about those elements? Would their support overall for repeal increase?
And what might those "true costs" be?
• Americans know that ObamaCare requires insurance companies to allow families to keep adult children up to age 26 on their parents' policy. They are less likely to know that the provision increased the average family premium—even for families that didn't add adult dependents—by $150-$450 in 2011.
• The average family's health-insurance premiums are already up $1,300.
• Young workers who buy their own insurance will see a 19%-30% increase in premiums as a result of ObamaCare.
• Remember the 700,000 people whom the Congressional Budget Office predicted would make use of ObamaCare's federal high-risk program? Just 78,000 people have enrolled. As a result, each person in the program costs taxpayers millions of allocated dollars. Americans, when they hear this, know instinctively that there must be a better way to address the problem.
• ObamaCare was sold as the solution to covering the 47 million uninsured in America, but 10 years after the law is implemented, 30 million Americans will still be uninsured. What problem, exactly, is ObamaCare solving again?
• Americans are also generally familiar with Medicaid's problems, among them the refusal by many doctors to accept Medicaid patients. What most people don't know is that approximately 10 million of those who gain insurance under ObamaCare will just be dumped into the already cash-strapped Medicaid system.
The results of the test were astounding.
Independent voters who came to understand that ObamaCare's increased regulations would drive up insurance costs for young adults supported Mr. Romney over Mr. Obama, 74%-14%, up from a 50%-43% Romney lead before they were given the facts. Those informed of the disappointing enrollment in risk pools for pre-existing conditions support Mr. Romney over Mr. Obama, 60% to 31%.
Such dereliction of duty in the mainstream media. In a more perfect world you might expect that by now there would have been any number of "news analysis" stories in major newspapers describing the actual costs of ObamaCare and how far they exceeded their targets. In this world major newspapers and broadcast networks are advocates. No 60 Minutes expose for this one. They're protecting their guy.
But if this educational experiment could be converted into a campaign ad it would guarantee a Romney landslide. Probably a 50-state sweep.
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