Health Care Repeal Kicked Off Florida Ballot

Ever since the health care reform legislation was passed the Republicans (and their angry teabagger wing) have been acting like it's the end of the world. They are hoping to use this issue to their advantage in the November elections. To that end they have put some resolutions on state ballots asking for the repeal of the health care law (or to force their own legislature to not obey it).

The Republicans know these resolutions will have no effect, since states do not have the right to pick and choose which federal laws they will obey and which they won't. That doesn't matter. Their goal is to get their nut-wing voters to the polls, and if a ridiculous, unenforceable resolution will help do that, then so be it. But it looks like they're not going to be able to do that in Florida.

On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge James Shelfer (appointed by Gov. Bush and elevated by Gov. Crist) tossed the health care repeal resolution (actually an amendment to the state constitution) off the Florida ballot. He said the wording was "manifestly misleading".

In the first sentence of the amendment summary it says the measure would "ensure access to health care services without waiting lists, protect the doctor-patient relationship, (and) guard against mandates that don't work." The only problem with that is the amendment would not do any of those things. The judge (pictured) said, "Someone voting on the amendment, reading those introductory statements would have a false understanding of what they were voting on."

When the health care legislation was first passed much of the population didn't like it. This was probably due to the many lies the Republicans had told about what the new legislation would do (death panels, lack of doctor and hospital choice, cuts to medicare benefits, etc.). But it now looks like the people are starting to figure out the Republicans were lying.

With each passing month the support for the health care law grows stronger, and a Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that 50% of the population now views the new law favorably (while only 35% have an unfavorable opinion -- a new low). In April the law had a 46% favorable view to 40% unfavorable.

The group with the highest negative view of the new law is seniors (46%), many of whom are having a hard time seeing through the Republican lies. Here are some of the things seniors mistakenly believe about the new health care law:

67% don't know the law will eliminate co-pays and deductibles for most preventive care.

50% don't know the law will close Medicare's "donut-hole".

50% think the law will cut benefits provided to all Medicare recipients (it doesn't).

36% think the law "will allow a government panel to make decisions about end-of-life care for people on Medicare."

45% think the law will weaken the financial condition of Medicare Part A Trust Fund (while it actually will extend the life of the fund by at least 12 years).

48% are not aware that the law only increases premiums for some higher-income beneficiaries.

Obviously, the law has not been explained well enough to senior citizens and this needs to be corrected. But it looks like the population in general is starting to figure out this was a good law that will benefit the great majority of Americans.