Views on Replacing the ACA
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, July 13-17, 2017
Q44. Is it the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage, or not?
March 2017
52% – Yes, a federal government responsibility
47% – No, not a federal government responsibility
July 2017
62% – Yes, a federal government responsibility
37% – No, not a federal government responsibility
http://apnorc.org…
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Comment:
By Don McCanne, M.D.
In only four months support of the view that it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage has gone from a 5 percentage point spread to a 25 point spread. The Republicans want to take credit for health care reform, and they actually may be able to take credit for this shift in opinion, even though it is in the opposite direction of their passionate support for further privatization of health care financing.
The years of unrelenting criticism of Obamacare by the Republicans along with the recognition that too many people are facing problems with affordability and access led to the concerns about the adequacy of the Affordable Care Act. In calling for repeal, the Republicans promised that they would replace Obamacare with a much better program, presumably bringing improved access at lower costs.
But then what happened this year now that Republicans have control of the House, Senate and the White house and can act on their promises? They tried to hide their actual policy positions behind closed doors shielded with false rhetoric. They were exposed when it became clear to all that their bucket of promises was empty.
It took only four months for Americans to realize that Bernie Sanders and all of the other Medicare-for-all advocates were right. The private sector canāt deliver, and the Republicans proved it. We need the federal government to take the responsibility of seeing that all Americans have health care.
It is our job to make sure that this American epiphany does not fade.
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