Research Briefing

After Failing To Convince Americans For Past Year, Obama’s Pitch For Government-Run Health Care Still Falling Flat

“A Presidential Tradition That Dates 100 Years Will Continue Monday: President Obama Will Throw Out The First Pitch Before The Washington Nationals Take On The Philadelphia Phillies.” (Bill Caiaccio, “Obama Will Take To Mount For Presidential Tradition,” CNN.com, 4/1/10)

BUT OBAMA’S GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE PITCH HAS FALLEN SHORT WITH JOB CREATORS AND DOCTORS …

“This Isn’t Exactly The Narrative That Democrats Wanted As They Began Their Recess Victory Lap After Their Big Victory On Health Care … Major Companies Are Taking Huge Write Downs On Earnings Due To Fresh Costs In The Health Care Law. Young People Are Reportedly Going To Be The Hardest Hit On Premiums.” (Martin Kady II, “What Victory Lap?” Politico’s “The Huddle,” 3/30/10)

Obama’s Pitch Includes Claim That His Health Care Bill “Is Pro-Jobs” And “Pro-Business.” “So this health care tax credit is pro-jobs, it’s pro-business, and it starts this year. This month, we’re going to be -- this month we’re going to be sending out details on how to apply for this credit to millions of small businesses across the country …” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Health Insurance Reform, Portland, ME, 4/1/10)

• But James Klein, President Of Association Representing 300 Large Job Creators, Says It Could Cost Companies $14 Billion And “In This Economic Environment, It Makes No Sense.” “In a telephone news conference on Monday, Mr. Klein cited a study by Towers Watson, a consulting firm, saying the loss of the deduction would cost companies $14 billion in future years. ‘Particularly in this economic environment, it makes no sense to impose this type of a hit on companies’ financial statements,’ Mr. Klein said.” (Steven Greenhouse, “Companies Push To Repeal Provision Of Health Law,” The New York Times, 3/29/10)
  
  
• “For Gene Marks, Who Owns A 10-Employee Company That Sells Business Software Products And Related Services ... He Is Skeptical About The Long-Term Cost Benefits... ‘We Do Have This Nagging Thing About How It Will Be Paid For ... When Things Seem To Be Too Good To Be True, They Often Are Too Good To Be True.’“ (Huma Khan, “Will New Health Care Law Really Help Small Businesses?” ABCNews.com, 4/1/10)
  
  
• CEO Of Cleveland’s Invocare Says New Medical Device Tax Is Like “Throwing A Hand Grenade” Into Health Care Industry. “The law includes a 2.3% excise tax on the sale of all medical devices except for consumer goods, such as contact lenses and hearing aids … Invacare CEO A. Malachi Mixon III in a January interview with Crain’s went so far as to say the tax was the equivalent of ‘throwing a hand grenade in the middle of the health care economy.’” (Chuck Soder, “Tax On Medical Device Manufactuers Could Be Taxing,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, 3/29/10)

Obama’s Pitch Includes Claim That Under His Health Care Bill That “If Americans Like Their Doctor, They Will Keep Their Doctor.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Health Insurance Reform, Portland, ME, 4/1/10)

• But Doctors In South Carolina Say Obama’s Bill Will Result In Longer Lines, Shorter Visits With Physicians In South Carolina. “The landmark health care bill signed into law by President Barack Obama will eventually mean 32 million more insured Americans, but adding so many more patients could lead to longer waits to see a physician and less time for the visit because there is a doctor shortage now. ... It’s estimated the country needs 30 percent more doctors to address the projected shortfall of 125,000 physicians by 2025.” (Liv Osby, “Doctor Shortage Will Grow As More Qualify For Care,” The State, 3/29/10)
  
  
• And Michigan Hospitals Says Medicare Cuts Are “Troublesome” For Areas Largely Populated By Senior Citizens. “At the same time, the legislation calls for cuts in Medicare payments to hospitals. And that’s troublesome for some Metro Detroit health systems that have hospitals in areas with large senior populations. At Beaumont Hospitals, for instance, about 45 percent of its patients are on Medicare, said Mike Killian, the system’s vice president of marketing.” (Christina Rogers, “State Providers Brace For Health Care Changes,” The Detroit News, 3/27/10)

AND HIS PITCHES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE STILL HIT THE DIRT

After Signing Government-Run Health Care Bill, New Washington Post Poll Shows Americans Still Oppose It In A “Divide That Has Existed Since Last Summer.” “In the days since President Obama signed the farthest-reaching piece of social welfare legislation in four decades, overall public opinion has changed little, with continuing broad public skepticism about the effects of the new law… Overall, 46 percent of those polled said they support the changes in the new law; 50 percent oppose them. That is virtually identical to the pre-vote split on the proposals and similar to the divide that has existed since last summer, when the country became sharply polarized over the president’s most ambitious domestic initiative.” (Jon Cohen & Dan Balz, “Washington Post Poll Finds Split On Health-Care Law Remains Deep,” The Washington Post, 3/28/10)

President Clinton’s Pollster Doug Schoen: “It’s Pretty Clear To Me That Public Opinion Is Arrayed Against The Plan. And Among Swing Voters, Opinion Is Even More Against The Plan…” (Josh Gerstein, “Obama Struggles To Capitalize In Polls,” Politico, 3/29/10)

USA Today/Gallup Poll Is “A Disappointing Reversal For The White House” As Opposition To ObamaCare Moved From 40% To 50%. “The survey shows that 50 percent of respondents said they opposed passage of the bill, while 47 percent said it was ‘a good thing.’ That’s a disappointing reversal for the White House: Last week, the same poll had 49 percent of respondents calling passage ‘a good thing’ and just 40 percent saying the reverse.” (Kendra Marr, “Gallup Health Numbers Reversed,” Politico’s “44” Blog, 3/29/10)

• USA Today/Gallup Poll: 55% Think “The Overall Costs Of Health Care In The U.S.”  Will “Get Worse.” (Frank Newport, “Americans Remain Concerned About Costs Of Healthcare Bill,” Gallup, 3/30/10)
  
  
• USA Today/Gallup Poll: 61% Think “The Federal Budget Deficit” Will “Get Worse.” (Frank Newport, “Americans Remain Concerned About Costs Of Healthcare Bill,” Gallup, 3/30/10)
  
  
• USA Today/Gallup Poll: 50% Think “The Costs You And Your Family For Healthcare” Will “Get Worse.” (Frank Newport, “Americans Remain Concerned About Costs Of Healthcare Bill,” Gallup, 3/30/10)

CNN: 56% “Disapprove Of The Bill Becoming Law.” (CNN Opinion Research Poll, 3/29/10)

• CNN: 47% Think “Congress Should Repeal Most Of The Major Provisions In That Bill And Replace Them With A Completely Different Set Of Proposals.” (CNN Opinion Research Poll, 3/29/10)
  
  
• CNN: 53% Are “Displeased” Or “Angry” About “The Health Care Bill That Congress Passed.” (CNN Opinion Research Poll, 3/29/10)