Incredibly, that’s the beginning passage of an AP article about public attitudes concerning Obamacare. According to the wire service’s new poll, the voters are not confident that they’re being told the truth about the cost of Obamacare:
Americans are worried about hidden costs in the fine print of health care overhaul legislation, an Associated Press poll says.
And well they should be. Those “hidden costs” promise to be gigantic. Most public surveys have framed their health reform questions in generalities. This one talked about actual trade-offs:
When poll questions were framed broadly, the answers seemed to indicate ample support for Obama’s goals. When required trade-offs were brought into the equation, opinions shifted — sometimes dramatically.
How dramatically? Well, the percentages actually reversed themselves in some cases:
For example, asked if everyone should be required to have at least some health insurance, 67 percent agreed and 27 percent said no. The responses flipped when people were asked about requiring everybody to carry insurance or face a federal penalty: 64 percent said they would be opposed, while 28 percent favored that.
This shouldn’t be a big surprise. Countless polls have shown that what most Americans want from health reform is lower costs and better access to care. And, when they hear the details, the voters realize that neither will be provided by any of the various Democrat “reform” bills.
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