America Wakes Up

Kaiser Health News ran a story this morning about its October polling data on health reform. In the 19 months that Kaiser Family Foundation has tracked public opinion, October’s poll saw the lowest level of support, with only 34 percent of respondents in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Most notably, among Democrats, the percentage of people who believe that they and their family will be “better off” as a result of the ACA fell from 43 percent in September 2011 to just 27 percent in October 2011. A very substantial decrease in just one month. While the demise of the CLASS Act and the overall increase in average family premiums may have played a role, there must be other factors at work here.

The Kaiser story suggests that perhaps the administration’s strategy of a phased in implementation with many of the major provisions (such as exchange subsidies and the Medicaid expansion) coming into effect after the 2012 election, was flawed. I disagree- public regard for ObamaCare is falling as more is known about what is actually in the mammoth bill. Additional implementation only serves to hurt public opinion as Americans realize what exactly health reform is, and what it isn’t.

I see the major drop in support- especially among democrats, as a sign that Americans are waking up to the dismal reality of Obama’s misguided policies, and not just concerning healthcare. This awakening is reflected in the protestors “occupying” Wall Street and other American cities. The dismay over the huge gap between what the Obama campaign promised and what the President has delivered is significant and the results run the gamut from declining public opinion to violent protests. While I don’t agree with the occupier’s solutions (such as greater government intervention to re-distribute wealth or forgive student debt) I am not at all surprised that they are unhappy with the state of the country at the moment.