Today is the third anniversary of the passage of ObamaCare, formally called the Affordable Care Act. It is the signature piece of legislation from President Obama's first term in office, and it is a rallying cry for conservatives opposed to large government programs.
In the three years it has been around, it has weathered dozens of attempts at repeal by Republicans in Congress, vilification in the media and a challenge in the Supreme Court.
But it has not escaped unscathed. Many of its elements have yet to go into effect, and it remains deeply unpopular. Some 40 percent of Americans oppose ObamaCare, and only 37 percent view it favorably.
But that unpopularity stems from ignorance, according to new polls by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
When asked their views on ObamaCare or the "health reform law," many Americans are vehemently opposed. But when asked about the individual provisions of the law, without mentioning the source, majorities of Americans support 10 out of the 11 main provisions of ObamaCare.
The eleventh, the individual mandate requiring all Americans to pay for health insurance or face a financial penalty, was originally a Republican proposal added as part of a compromise.
In fact, even a majority of Republicans support 7 out of 11 of ObamaCare's provisions.
These include tax credits for small businesses to help them purchase insurance for their employees, the extension of coverage for dependents to allow children to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26, the expansion of Medicaid and federal funding to states to support the increased payments, and federal subsidies to help offset the cost of health insurance to people with low incomes.
Much of the disparity comes from negative coverage in the media, and the fact that the largest provisions haven't yet gone into effect, leaving people who aren't aware of that with the sense that ObamaCare isn't working.
In addition, Congressional Republicans and the conservative press have focused on stories of small businesses or seniors who fear their health insurance costs will go up, or studies by conservative think tanks that say the program will add to the federal deficit.
Most studies show that the provisions in ObamaCare, if fully implemented, will result in a reduction of the deficit , as well as lower health care costs for individuals and society as a whole. This October, Americans can begin to sign up for health insurance pools, providing them with lower cost coverage and satisfying the requirement that that have health insurance, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
As for the provisions that may be less popular, they are necessary to provide funding for the benefits most Americans say they want. When Obama's name isn't attached to the legislation, anyway.
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