Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Individual Mandate's Growth In Unpopularity

"Answering questions about the bill, no matter what the questions are, is extremely difficult because it is so complicated," Cherlin says.

Cherlin says the problem is that the relationship between the American people and their health care coverage is tricky. He says the public generally doesn't like the system, is skeptical of the players and would rather not have to deal with it than have anything change.

"And the minute you say, 'Under Obamacare you'd have to do X, Y and Z,' no one wants to do anything with their health care," he says. "They just want it to be there and not get sick."

In a blog post for GQ Magazine, Cherlin posted some of the quotes he gave reporters about the law. He called them "torturous and horrible," including this one:

"The president has made it clear that health insurance reform legislation should prevent insurance companies from placing annual limits on health expenditures that can force families into financial ruin. We will continue to work with Congress on this policy."

It's that kind of language that has made it so hard to make the case for Obama's plan, Cherlin says. In hindsight, he says, the White House didn't do itself any favors.

"There are a lot of good things that it does, but for a bumper sticker or a 15-second blurb, basically you've got to pick one," he says. "There was a lot of disagreement ... so consequently, we were talking about different things at different times."

With all of those different messages floating around, Cherlin says, that might be why nothing seems to have stuck.

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