Paul Hsieh, Contributor
The battle over ObamaCare will reignite soon, and the next front will be the war for public opinion. The American public remains deeply skeptical of the new law. Many Americans say they will not sign up for insurance in the new “exchanges” scheduled to open October 1, 2013. As a result, the Obama administration is preparing a high-profile public relations blitz to again sell the law to the public.
Here are 4 talking points ObamaCare advocates will attempt to promote — and 4 questions Americans should ask in responsOf course, nothing is “free.” Others will have to pay for these services in the form of increased insurance premiums or higher taxes. If anyone touts “free” benefits, we should ask, “Who is really paying for them? And what else could they be doing with their own money if they weren’t compelled to do so?
1) “Free” benefits
”One of the supposed selling points of the new law will be “free” benefits, such as “free” birth control, well-woman visits, STD (sexually transmitted disease) prevention counseling, and a variety of preventive services.
Of course, nothing is “free.” Others will have to pay for these services in the form of increased insurance premiums or higher taxes. If anyone touts “free” benefits, we should ask, “Who is really paying for them? And what else could they be doing with their own money if they weren’t compelled to do so?”
2) “Coverage”
One of the goals of ObamaCare is near-universal “coverage.” But “coverage” is not the same as actual medical care. The American Medical Association predicts a “silent exodus” of physicians as ObamaCare is phased in, worsening the already existing physician shortage.
The New York Times notes the already growingdisconnect between theoretical “coverage” and actual medical care in parts of California: “Patients still get care, but the process is often slow and difficult. In Riverside, it has left residents driving long distances to doctors, languishing on waiting lists, overusing emergency rooms and even forgoing care.” These problems will worsen under ObamaCare.
One key way that ObamaCare expands “coverage” is by expanding government Medicaid. Yet anotherNew York Times piece noted the problems with that approach:
“Having a Medicaid card in no way assures access to care,” said Dr. James B. Aiken, an emergency physician in New Orleans…“My Medicaid card is useless for me right now,” [patient Nicole] Dardeau said over lunch. “It’s a useless piece of plastic. I can’t find an orthopedic surgeon or a pain management doctor who will accept Medicaid.”
If someone touts the enhanced “coverage” under ObamaCare, ask if that’s the same as actual medical care.
3) “Rights”
The Obama Administration is claiming their law will create a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights.” These are basically new health care or insurance entitlements. For example, insurers must include “children” under age 26 under their parents’ plans. Similarly, insurers may not charge older patients more than 3 times the rate of younger customers (even if the older, less healthy patients require many more medical resources). Under ObamaCare, healthy young people will be compelled to artificially subsidize the higher health costs of seniors.
Calling these new entitlements “rights” is a serious misunderstanding of the nature of rights. A right is a freedom of action (such as the right to free speech), not an automatic claim to a good or service that must be produced by another. Attempting to guarantee a supposed “right” to cheaper or free health insurance necessarily violates the actual rights of those forced to pay for it. This is just a form of state-sanctioned theft.
If someone touts the new patient “rights” under the law, ask whose rights are being violated in the process.
4) “Reform”
ObamaCare advocates (and many supposedly neutral news outlets) regularly characterize the new law as health care “reform.” But the term “reform” presumes that the law is a step in the right direction — which is the very issue under dispute. By implication, ObamaCare opponents must be against progress.
This is an old tactic, long used by politicians by both parties. Names such as the “Save American Jobs Act” or the “Patriot Act” are deliberately chosen to undercut opposition. After all, who could possibly be opposed to saving American jobs (or to patriotism)?
If ObamaCare advocates use the term “health care reform,” insist on a more neutral term like “health care law.” Don’t concede the moral high ground without a fight.
Bonus question: Ask why Congress wants to exempt itself from ObamaCare.
ObamaCare supporters in Congress are constantly touting how it will be good for America. Yet Congress is trying to exempt itself from its own ObamaCare rules.
As Politico reports, “[T]he government can only offer members of Congress and their staff plans that are ‘created’ in the bill or ‘offered through an exchange’… The provision was put in the bill in the first place on the theory that if Congress was going to make the country live under the provisions of ObamaCare, the members and staff should have to as well.”
Under the new law, many lawmakers and aides are finding they will be required to purchase insurance that would be “exorbitantly expensive.” Congressional leaders of both political parties fear a resultant exodus of young talent. Thus they are trying to repeal the provision requiring them to follow their own laws.
If a politician tells you that ObamaCare will be good for America, ask them why Congress wants to opt out. And if Congress gets to opt out, ask why we can’t do the same.
In the next few months, ObamaCare supporters will use every rhetorical trick in the book to sell their plan to a skeptical public. If you recognize their tactics and ask a few appropriate questions, you can help win this crucial battle for American hearts and minds.
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