Obamacare Effect: Voters Sour on Broken Promises
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The overwhelming dissatisfaction with Obamacare played a part in the Republican surge in the 2014 midterm elections. Only 38 percent of Americans approve of it.
The wildly unpopular healthcare plan, touted as President Barack Obama's signature legislation, was passed four years ago and has been riddled with confusion and incompetence ever since.
The Healthcare.gov website didn't work for months. And voters are still concerned about security issues associated with the website, which requires applicants to enter financial and personal information.
The president's infamous promise that people who like their healthcare can keep it proved to be untrue as millions of people recieved cancellation notices from their health insurers.
Another round was scheduled to be sent just before the election, but the administration managed to stall that until after the midterms. On top of that, the Affordable Care Act proved to be unafforable to many.
There is tremendous fear associated with the future of Obamacare, particularly among small business owners who are afraid to hire more employees because they are unsure of what costs loom ahead associated with the law.
Individuals who have seen their insurance rates skyrocket, are equally worried that they will continue to trend higher.
Most Republicans running in the midterms support repealing Obamacare. However, they stop short of promising to do that even if they regain control of the Senate.
That's because any legislation to overturn Obamacare will surely be vetoed by Obama. So there is little that they can do to actually change the massive healthcare overhaul.
On a lesser scale, they will likely be successful in repealing the tax on medical devices. That might be the extent of their ability to change Obamacare. Only 14 percent of midterm political ads mentioned Obamacare.
So while soon-to-be Senate leader Mitch McConnell said he is "committed to the full repeal of Obamacare" and that he will "continue to lead efforts to repeal and replace it," President Obama's veto power stands in the way.
Voters will see a reversal. For years Obama has accused Republicans of being "the party of no," but when it comes to repealing Obamacare, they will see the president say no.
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