Shelley Berkley: The More People Know About ObamaCare, ‘The More They Will Like It’ #NVSen

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(Las Vegas, NV) – Today marks two years since President Obama signed the massive health care legislation into law. At the time, seven-term Congresswoman Shelley Berkley claimed people would like the bill once they knew more about it.

“In her haste to join Nancy Pelosi and push the health care bill through Congress, Shelley Berkley claimed the more people know about ObamaCare, the ‘more they will like it.’ Well, now we know and no one wants it,” said Chandler Smith, Heller for Senate spokeswoman. “As Nevadans struggle for ways to pay for healthcare, they won’t forget that Shelley Berkley stood with Washington Democrats rather than Nevadans who are looking for jobs and affordable health care,” said Chandler Smith, Heller for Senate spokeswoman.

After the March 2010 vote, Shelley Berkley said of President Obama’s healthcare law: “the more people know what is in there and understand it, they more they will like it.” (Steve Tetrault, “Titus skips bill signing, meets visitors,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 24, 2010)

Two years later, we aren’t convinced:

  • A majority of Americans oppose ObamaCare: An ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that Americans oppose the law overall by 52-41 percent. And 67 percent believe the high court should either get rid of the law or at least the portion that requires nearly all Americans to have coverage.” (Greg Holyk, “As Health Care Law’s Trial Approaches, Two-Thirds Say Ditch Individual Mandate,” ABC News, 3/19/12)
  • Nevada secured a partial waiver from the law: The Obama Administration has given over 1200 waivers from the health care law—including to the State of Nevada. (Sam Baker, “HHS Finalizes 1,200 Waivers Under Healthcare Reform Law,” The Hill, 1/6/2012); (Karoun Demirjian, “Nevada secures partial waiver from federal health care law,” Las Vegas Sun, May 16, 2011)
  • Two-thirds of Americans say the Supreme Court should rule the mandate unconstitutional. (Greg Holyk, “As Health Care Law’s Trial Approaches, Two-Thirds Say Ditch Individual Mandate,” ABC News, 3/19/2012)
  • An AP poll finds ObamaCare “still unpopular:” The poll found that 35 percent of Americans support the health care law overhaul, while 47 percent oppose it. That’s similar to the same split as when it passed. Then, 39 percent supported it and 50 percent opposed it.” (“Poll: Obama’s Health Overhaul Still Unpopular, But Fewer Expect Own Care to Worsen,” Associated Press, 3/8/2012)
  • A USA Today poll finds 50% say government healthcare takeover was a “bad thing.” (Susan Page, “Swing States Poll: Health Care Law Hurts Obama in 2012,” USA Today, 2/27/2012)

3 Reasons to End Obamacare Before it Begins!

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As the legality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – a.k.a. Obamacare – goes before the highest court in the land, here are three reasons to chuck the whole program even before it gets underway.

1. It Represents the End of Limited Government. The Supreme Court will issue its verdict later this spring of course, but there’s no question that if the government can force you to do something simply because you exist and draw breath, then the American experiment in limited government is over and done with. Whether it’s the mandating of eating broccoli or buying insurance, a government that can make you do whatever it wants just ain’t in the American grain.

2. Its Price Tag is Already Ballooning. The latest government estimate of cost tells us what we already knew. Health-care reform is going to cost us a lot more than the arm and the leg it’s supposed to save us. The Congressional Budget Office is now saying that the first full decade of Obamacare is going to cost about $1.8 trillion , or double the original estimate used to sell the program.

3. Obamacare Won’t Make Us Healthier. Health insurance isn’t the same thing as health. Most of us might end up paying more for health care under the new law, but there’s precious little evidence that coverage itself leads to lower medical costs. A 1993 study by the RAND Corporation found that “for the average person, there were no substantial benefits from free care .” Not smoking, eating moderately, and not boozing it up provide greater health benefits than any low-deductible, low-co-pay insurance plan.

For links to all claims made in the video, go to http://reason.com/blog/2012/03/25/3-reasons-to-kill-obamacare-before-it-be