Politics
How effective has Obama’s health law been so far?
There are two relevant issues. First, does Obama’s health law provide better medical care for Americans? And is it reducing the cost of healthcare?
While the new law will not be fully implemented until 2014, the parts that have been enacted show that the indisputable, factual answer to both questions is “yes.” But at the moment, the facts do not seem to matter in the court of public opinion. Republican opposition remains as solid today as the day the act was signed into law.
Overall, a March 11 Bloomberg poll found that 37 percent of Americans say it should be repealed, 46 percent want to wait to see how it works and 11 percent think it should be left just the way it is.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that 50.5 percent of all Americans oppose the law. That is almost exactly the same level of opposition as there was in 2010. One aspect of that opposition that needs to be highlighted is that more than 20 percent of Americans are opposed because they want the law to do more. Specifically, they want it to include a public option for insurance coverage to put more pressure on insurance companies to lower their rates and requirements for coverage.
