Research

ANCHOR: “Last night the President gave his State of the Union speech. We all watched it hear in Maine, very anxious to hear what he had to say. It was about 70 minutes, but a lot of people surprised  this morning surprised that we didn't hear much about health care reform. During the speech, the President really only mentioned health care or health care  insurance three times. So Secretary, my question for you is do you and the President still believe in this ‘Affordable Care Act’ and why was it such a small part of the speech?”

SECRETARY SEBELIUS: “Well I think, John that what the president did is focus on the urgent need to make sure that this opportunity for a make or break time for the American middle class is taken advantage of in this year by Congress.” (WPFO, 1/25/12)

The Facts On Obama’s State Of The Union Speech Last Night:

Kaiser Health News: “In State Of The Union Speech, Health Law Gets Short Shrift” (“In State Of The Union Speech, Health Law Gets Short Shrift,” Kaiser Health News, Accessed 1/25/12)

“President Obama Made Only Glancing References To Healthcare Reform During His State Of The Union Address Tuesday Night.” (Sam Baker, “Obama Largely Avoids Healthcare In State Of The Union,” The Hill’s “Healthwatch,” 1/24/12)

ObamaCare Barely Got Any Mention In Obama’s 2012 State Of The Union Address. “President Barack Obama used his State of the Union speech to remind voters that his administration killed Osama bin Laden and rescued General Motors. But that big health care law he spent a year pushing through Congress didn't get much play.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Health Care Law Barely Mentioned,” Politico, 1/24/12)

• “Only Got A Fleeting Mention” In The SOTU Speech. “But it only got a fleeting mention Tuesday in his third State of the Union speech.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Health Care Law Barely Mentioned,” Politico, 1/24/12)
• Only 0.63 Percent Of Obama’s State Of The Union Addressed Healthcare. (President Barack Obama, State Of The Union Address, 1/24/12)
• Dan Diamond Of The Advisory Board: Obama only dedicated 44 words to health reform in his 2012 SOTU speech.” (Dan Diamond, Twitter Feed, 1/24/12)

ObamaCare Got Such Little Mention, That Obama Didn’t Address A White House Invitee Who Was Helped By The Reform. “But other than those passing mentions, Obama spent so little time on the law that he didn’t even acknowledge an audience member the White House had brought to the speech — a cancer survivor who could have been an example of someone with a pre-existing condition who was helped by the law.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Health Care Law Barely Mentioned,” Politico, 1/24/12)

CBS’s Bob Schieffer Noted Small Time Spent On ObamaCare, Saying “There May Be A Reason For That,  It's Not Very Popular.”  SCOTT PELLEY: “The President didn't say very much about criticism of health care reform. he saved it for the middle of the speech, he didn't dwell there. He said that he would not be reversed on health care but it wasn't something that he spent very much time on.” BOB SCHIEFFER: “No, he didn't. There may be a reason for that,  it's not very popular.” (CBS, 1/24/12)

NPR’s Julie Rovner: “His Landmark 2010 Health Overhaul … Got Barely A Passing Mention.” “When it came to health, what was most surprising was how little President Obama had to say in his State of the Union address. His landmark 2010 health overhaul — whose fate is currently before the Supreme Court and whose repeal is the top priority for every GOP presidential candidate — got barely a passing mention.” (Julie Rovner, “Analysis: Landmark Health Overhaul Gets Barely A Mention,” NPR’s “It’s All Politics” Blog, 1/24/12)

Fact Check: ObamaCare Relies On “A Government Program:”

OBAMA: "Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program." (Calvin Woodward, “FACT CHECK: Obama Pushes Plans That Flopped Before,” The Associated Press, 1/25/12)

THE FACTS: “That's Only Half True.” “About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.” (Calvin Woodward, “FACT CHECK: Obama Pushes Plans That Flopped Before,” The Associated Press, 1/25/12)

• Glenn Kessler: Millions Will Get Health Care Coverage Through Government Program, Medicaid. “Obama spent surprisingly little time in the speech defending his signature health care law, but he left out part of the story with this statement. About half of the 34 million people who will receive coverage under the new law will be placed on Medicaid, a federal-state government program for low-income Americans, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. The rest of the newly insured would get coverage through private markets.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking The 2012 State Of The Union Speech,” The Washington Post, 1/25/12)

Fact Check: ObamaCare Isn’t “Affordable” And Premiums Are Increasing:

Factcheck.org: ObamaCare “Falls Short Of Making Health Care ‘Affordable And Available To Every Single American,’ As Promised.” “Furthermore, the law falls short of making health care ‘affordable and available to every single American,’ as promised. The law provides subsidies to help some Americans buy insurance, expands Medicaid and doesn’t allow insurance companies to exclude persons with preexisting conditions. But still, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured — some because they can’t afford coverage.” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12)

• Factcheck.org: ObamaCare Is Actually Making Health Care “Less Affordable.” “At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable. Independent health care experts say the law has caused some insurance premiums to rise. As we wrote in October, the new law has caused about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans because of requirements for increased benefits. Last year’s premium increases cast even more doubt on another promise the president has made — that the health care law would ‘lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.’” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12) 
• The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker: “Moreover, at this point it is debatable whether the law has made health care more affordable. Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law.” (Glenn Kessler, “The Fine Print In Obama’s ‘Promises Kept’ Ad,” The Washington Post’s “The Fact Checker,” 1/6/12)