By Grace-Marie Turner
The White House is announcing its plans to launch a three-week initiative to remind us of all the reasons the Affordable Care Act passed in the first place and why we should learn to love this law again.
But there is one big problem here: When the president was making all of the promises about this law, they were aspirations. The American people now are onto the game and have learned for themselves that those promises simply are not true.
- “Health costs will go down by $2,500 a year for every family by the end of the president’s first term.” Costs have gone up by more than $3,000.
- “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” Tell that to the 5.5 million people who are losing their health plans now and to the nearly 50 million who are expected to lose their plans next year.
- “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.” Not for the millions of people who are not only losing their health insurance but also access to their doctors.
- “The plan will lower health costs for businesses, individuals, and the federal government.” And, “health reform will lower the federal budget deficit.” It will increase it by at least $330 billion over the next ten years.
- “The plan will not cut Medicare.” The CBO now estimates that $716 billion will be cut from Medicare, including the popular Medicare Advantage program, to pay for Obamacare’s subsidies.
- “We will finally have health insurance to cover all Americans and join the civilized world.” Tell that to the 30 million Americans who will remain uncovered even under the best of circumstances.
- And one of the more recent claims: ”For the vast majority of Americans, nothing changes.” Here is my NRO post that explains how virtually everyone will face changes to their coverage as a result of Obamacare.
It is going to be very interesting to see the new talking points. Is the White House going to repeat these claims? Or will there be new promises?
And exactly what reservoir of credibility will they tap to make this next pitch subject to anything but mockery?
Posted on National Review Online December 3, 2013