Public Still Misunderstands Obamacare

There is little doubt that health care reform is needed in the United States. Just look at the top chart -- made with information from the latest Kaiser Foundation Survey (conducted between September 12th and 18th of 1,503 nationwide adults, with a 3 point margin of error), and you will see that a majority of Americans delayed or skipped getting some kind of health care in the last year because of the cost. And that cut across demographic lines, with only one group (those making over $90,000 a year) showing fewer than half of the group with that problem.

That's an incredible fact, and it shows that our health care system is badly broken. It is also a fact that this is not true of any other developed nation. It is only in the United States that people must pass up getting health care because they can't afford to pay for it -- a fact that should shame all Americans.

The Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare) does not fix all of the problems in our health care system -- but it does fix some of them, and once instituted, will result in a lot more Americans (millions of them) having health insurance and being able to afford to get the health care they need. That being true (and it is), then why does the second chart show so few Americans with a favorable opinion of Obamacare?

The Kaiser survey showed that only 39% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Obamacare, while 43% have an unfavorable opinion and 17% don't know what to think about the program. And the poll gives us some very good clues as to why this is true. Obamacare has not been properly explained to the public, and this has allowed a lot of Republican lies and half-truths about the program to take hold among the general population. Consider the following facts revealed in the survey:

15% of the general population (and only 12% of uninsured people 18-64) are aware that the state health care exchanges (offering lower insurance rates) will begin operating on October 1st.

52% incorrectly believe that Obamacare created a new government-run health insurance program that will compete with private insurance companies.

43% incorrectly believe that Obamacare will provide government subsidies to undocumented immigrants to help them buy insurance.

42% incorrectly believe that Obamacare created a government "death panel" to make end-of-life decisions for those people on Medicare.

42% incorrectly believe that Obamacare cuts benefits for people on traditional Medicare.

When so many people believe these falsehoods (spread by Republicans), it is not hard to see why so many people don't have a favorable opinion of the program. It those things were true, then people should fear Obamacare. But they are not true, and the government needs to clear up those misapprehensions.

The Republicans believe their lies have created support for their continued efforts to either repeal or defund Obamacare. But this survey shows that is just not true. While more people have an unfavorable view of the program than have a favorable view, that does not translate into support for the continuing efforts to kill Obamacare. Note in the chart below, only 35% of the public supports those Republicans efforts to kill Obamacare, while 46% think they should just accept Obamacare as law and move on to other issues facing the country. The GOP is not winning any new friends with their single-minded obsession over Obamacare.