How Obama, Romney are spinning court's health-care ruling
Ever since the US Supreme Court issued its startling decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Thursday morning, the presidential campaigns of both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been spinning the ruling like crazy.
Just some of the issues with wildly different political interpretations include: Defining the details and impact of what the court says plainly is a form of taxation 鈥� the basis, in fact, of the constitutionality of what critics call 鈥淥bamacare.鈥� What the outcome would be for Medicare. The number of already-insured Americans who would have to scramble to find new health care coverage. Whether or not the ACA is a 鈥渏ob-killer.鈥� Whether or not the deficit would go up or down as a result of this landmark legislation.
Obama may have won big in the high court 鈥� asks the headline on a piece at Slate 鈥� but both the President and his likely GOP competitor have major political challenges as a result of the ruling.
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For Obama, it鈥檚 the ACA鈥檚 cost to individuals and families of a massive new government program designed to reform health care insurance in major ways, and Republicans were quick to jump on that.
In the GOP鈥檚 Saturday radio address, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (who鈥檚 a physician) said this:
鈥淧resident Obama has repeatedly promised, and I quote, 'if you're a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan,' he said, 'won't raise your taxes one penny.' Now, all of America knows the truth. The President's health care law hires more IRS agents to investigate you and to make sure you buy insurance 鈥� but it fails to deal with the shortage of nurses and doctors to actually take care of you.鈥�
The Supreme Court鈥檚 majority opinion did say the ACA is constitutional because of Congress鈥檚 taxing authority, so that鈥檒l take some explaining by the Obama administration.
What Romney has to explain is why that鈥檚 substantially different from his signature achievement as governor of Massachusetts: A statewide health insurance program that includes an individual mandate and the taxing authority to enforce it.
鈥淚 don't think of the mandate as a tax 鈥� I think of it is a free rider penalty,鈥� Jon Gruber, the MIT economist who helped craft the Massachusetts and national laws, 鈥淏ut if you want to think of it as a tax, then it is exactly the same tax 鈥� Romney imposed.鈥�
Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation 鈥� a business-backed fiscal watchdog that has analyzed the state鈥檚 health care law for years 鈥� agreed, Politico reported. 鈥淚f one鈥檚 a tax, the other鈥檚 a tax,鈥� he said.
USA Today has done a good job of fact-checking the points of contention (and spin) on the court鈥檚 ruling.
Obama鈥檚 assertion that 鈥渘early 13 million of you will receive a rebate from your insurance company because it spent too much on things like administrative costs and CEO bonuses and not enough on your health care?鈥� That鈥檚 overreach, finds, since 鈥渕ost of these rebates will go to employers, not individuals.鈥�
Romney鈥檚 claim that 鈥淥bamacare is a job-killer?鈥� 聽
鈥淐laims about the health care law killing jobs are overblown鈥�. It's true that the amount of labor in the economy would be reduced by 鈥榓 small amount,鈥� about half a percent, according to the [nonpartisan] Congressional Budget Office. That currently equals about 675,000 jobs. But the jobs would not be lost or killed. Most of those workers would have the 鈥榝inancial resources鈥� 鈥� because of the subsidies provided by the law 鈥� to retire or reduce their hours, the CBO says.鈥�
What鈥檚 not subject to dispute (although they surely can be spun) are the latest poll figures on how Americans feel about what the high court鈥檚 just done in upholding government-mandated health care insurance.
Fifty percent of those surveyed in a new Newsweek/Daily Beast poll disapprove of the court鈥檚 decision, while 45 percent said they support it.
鈥淐onsistently, a majority of voters said that they oppose the individual mandate (53 percent); believe taxes will increase (52 percent); believe their personal health-care costs will increase (56 percent); and disapprove of Obama鈥檚 handling of health care in general (58 percent),鈥� reports Newsweek鈥檚 Daily Beast. 鈥淥nly 24 percent of those polled said that they believe the ruling will make the country better off.鈥�
A USA Today/Gallup Poll finds a similar split with a slim majority wanting part or all of the law repealed.
That鈥檚 a problem for Obama, who has a major selling job to do.
For Romney, the problem is being forced to talk about health care (and his own 鈥淩omneycare鈥� legacy) when he鈥檇 rather focus on the economy. And of other polling showing majority support for key elements of the ACA
The liberal Center for American Progress聽points to the high points it sees in a new Reuters/Ipsos听辫辞濒濒:
鈥� Sixty-one percent聽of respondents favored allowing young adults to stay on their parents鈥� insurance plans until age 26.
鈥� 聽Seventy-two percent聽of respondents wish to maintain the requirement that companies with more than 50 workers provide health insurance for their employees.
鈥� Eighty-two percent聽of respondents favored banning insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
At the moment, Romney and congressional Republicans have no detailed plan for preserving those popular features once they鈥檝e 鈥渞epealed Obamacare on day one.鈥�
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