Dems Running From Obamacare

Dems running for re-election have been given their marching orders for healthcare.  The polling shows that it has not gotten more popular since it has become law.  They are being told to use first person stories to get their points across:

"My name is Lindsey.  I am 23 years old and have a six year old son named Jacob who has asthma.  We got our health insurance from husband's employer, but he lost his job recently.  He found a new job that pays OK, but his new health insurance company will give Jacob coverage because he has a pre-existing condition.  I wait tables too, but we just can't afford to pay medical expenses out of pocket.  I know that new health insurance law isn't perfect, but starting in September, it will be illegal for insurance companies to deny children with pre-existing conditions healthcare coverage.  I can't tell you what a relief it is to me that Jacob will get the care that he needs.  I really hope this law doesn't get repealed."

OK, are they saying that they should find someone to repeat this story?  Or do they just tell this story themselves?  Secondly, if her son was insured within the past three months of the insurance company change, it already is illegal for them to deny coverage.  That is why you get HIPPA forms when you change insurance companies.  How stupid do they think we are? 

The biggest message from the power point presentation is to keep the language simple and don't over promise.  It also wants them to talk about how they are planning on improving the law.  It hasn't even really taken effect yet, and they have to improve it?  Why didn't they do it correctly the first time?  Oh, that's right, they didn't care as long as it passed.  They also want to use personal responsibility as an argument for the individual mandate, hmm, a way to try and get conservatives to go along? 

Sadly, they have also found with their polling that there are quite a few people in the country who don't know that it passed.  As amazing as that seems to me, chances are if the person doesn't know that the law passed, they are not going to show up at a town hall meeting. 

The Don'ts Include:

list benefits outside of any personal context
say the law will reduce costs and benefits
assume public knows the health reform law passed or if they know it passed understand how it will affect them

It is sad that they refused to listen to people when they were saying to slow down and do it correctly.  The best hope that we have at this point is that if the GOP takes control of the House, they stop funding this while the law can be made better, or just plain repealed. 

If I were them, I would be running from it as well.  The reality is that will not reduce costs and the public knows it. 

See the entire presentation here