WSJ/NBC Poll: Health Care Law's Unpopularity Reaches New Highs
Today in Washington, D.C, June 6, 2013
The Senate reconvened today and resumed consideration of S. 954, the farm bill. They voted 75-26 to invoke cloture (to close off debate and limit amendments) on the farm bill (S. 954). Then Democrats voted against cloture on the motion to proceed to (i.e. whether to take up) the Republican student loan bill (S. 1003), which would have relied on market forces to set sensible rates for all student loans. Senators then voted against cloture on the motion to proceed to the Senate Democrats’ bill to play politics with student loans (S. 953).
Presently, Sen. Lautenberg lays in repose in the Senate chamber to allow senators, staff, and the public to pay their respects.
WARNING: This morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the motion to proceed (i.e. whether to consider, debate, and amend) the immigration reform bill, S. 744.
The House today finished action on and passed H.R. 2217 (245-182) — "Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement praising the House for approving two bipartisan bills this week providing critical funding for homeland security, America’s veterans, and disaster recovery:dir>“Keeping America secure and taking care of our veterans are two of our most fundamental responsibilities, and the bipartisan appropriations bills passed by the House this week do both. They also make sure resources are available to help areas of the country devastated by natural disasters. And they reflect our commitment to controlling spending and responsible oversight – important parts of the Republican plan to grow the economy and help create new jobs.
“Each bill was crafted out in the open, every lawmaker had the chance to participate, and the bipartisan support they received speaks for itself. That’s what makes President Obama’s veto threat so baffling. I hope the president will stop threatening a government shutdown over these bipartisan bills and instead urge Senate Democrats to pass them as soon as possible.”NOTE: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2216) passed the House on Tuesday, and as noted above, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2217) passed today.
However, not everything is rosy for the Republicans, 36 House Republicans voted to "defeat an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have repealed the 82-year old Davis-Bacon prevailing wages mandate for federal contractors. The Davis Bacon Act has driven up the cost of Government Contracts for years costing the taxpayers billions every year. Most disappointing was that one of the Republicans was former GOP Vice Presidential candidate, Paul Ryan (R-WI). Evidently, too much pressure somehow / somewhere has motivated these Republicans to stay in bed with the unions who have been the major backer of Davis Bacon Act which inflates the costs of government contracts even when unions are not even performing the contacts.
Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens today blasted the 36 House Republicans:
"Prevailing wages demand that the U.S. Department of Labor set the cost for labor for federal government construction contractors rather than having the taxpayers get the benefit of competitive labor cost bidding. The impact of Davis-Bacon on increasing the cost of government has been so extreme that the 2012 Republican National Committee's official platform called for its repeal.Yet when given the opportunity, 36 House Republicans broke their own party's promise to do away with these requirements that unnecessarily cost billions of additional tax dollars every year. Apparently, the platform is not worth the paper it's printed on."
The House OVersight And Government Reform Committee held a hearing on the wasteful spending by the IRs on conferences and partying. One major item was a "lavish $4.1 million training conference." The IRS has spend $49 million on 225 employee conferences over the past three years. A prior article addressed the IRS Taxpayer-funded IRS Linedancing.
Bad news on Obamacare just keeps piling up. More unfavorable polling trends evidences the law’s growing unpopularity, The problems with its implementation continue, even in places dominated by Democrats.
The Wall Street Journal reports, “Americans’ unease with President Barack Obama’s health-care law has intensified, just as the administration is gearing up to persuade people to sign up for some of its major provisions, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey finds. Prior Journal/NBC polls have found more people calling the health law a bad idea rather than a good one. But the number calling it a bad idea reached a high of 49% in a poll of 1,000 adults taken between May 30 and June 2, with 43% ‘strongly’ holding that view. Some 37% called the law a good idea. The 12-point gap between supporters and skeptics is the largest since a survey taken in March 2010, the month the health law was passed. Moreover, far more people think they will be worse off under the new law than those who think they will benefit from it, 38% to 19%, the new Journal/NBC poll found. The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The results show rising dislike of the Affordable Care Act just four months before enrollment begins for the government-sponsored insurance exchanges, a major feature of the law.”
The WSJ notes, “Skepticism runs particularly high among those Americans who buy insurance on the individual market, one of the key groups the law is intended to help. Among those adults who currently buy insurance on their own, 48% think they will be worse off as a result of the new law, compared with the 13% who said they would be better off. Americans who have insurance coverage through the government or their employer also doubt, on the whole, that they will benefit from the new law.”
In its discussion of the poll, NBC’s FirstRead writes, “President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law remains unpopular with the American public just months before it fully goes into effect, according to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The poll shows 49 percent of Americans say they believe the Affordable Care Act is a bad idea. That’s the highest number recorded on this question since the poll began measuring it in 2009. Just 37 percent say the plan is a good idea. . . . For individuals, the current poll also finds 38 percent of respondents saying that they (and their families) will be worse off under the health care law. That’s the highest percentage of respondents to express a negative outlook toward ‘Obamacare’ since 2010, when the president signed this signature piece of legislation into law following an extended, bruising battle in Congress.”
Meanwhile, implementation of this unpopular law is beginning to worry jurisdictions across the country. The New York Post points out that New York City’s “generous health-care benefits for municipal workers might qualify as costly ‘Cadillac plans’ that get socked with significant financial penalties under ObamaCare, Mayor Bloomberg’s budget director warned yesterday. Councilman Jimmy Oddo (R-SI) raised the potentially explosive possibility during a routine budget hearing. ‘It would mean the city would get a 40 percent excise tax,’ Oddo pointed out. When he asked Budget Director Mark Page if that was a concern, he got a one-word reply: ‘Yes.’”
And in Illinois, President Obama’s home state, where the state legislature is controlled entirely by Democrats, state lawmakers still can’t agree on setting up a health care exchange as Obamacare calls for. According to the AP, “Federal officials could end up overseeing the new Illinois health insurance marketplace for years to come after lawmakers in Springfield balked again at a full embrace of President Barack Obama’s health care law. The Legislature adjourned Friday without sending Gov. Pat Quinn’s a bill on a state-run marketplace . . . . Quinn has pushed such a plan for three years without success. . . . State senators approved the bill along party lines, but the full House never voted on it before last Friday’s adjournment. A spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan noted the bill ‘didn’t have much bipartisan support’ in the Senate and would have had ‘tough sledding’ in the House. It was one more case of Obama’s home state lagging behind some other Democrat-controlled states in implementing the president’s signature domestic achievement.”
As NBC noted in its story, “GOP leaders have been unrelenting in their calls to reverse the law. ‘For the sake of my constituents in Kentucky and for the sake of Americans across the country, I urge my friends on the other side to join with Republicans and stop this ‘train wreck’ before things get even worse,’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor in April.”
Tags: Polls, Obamacare, Davis Bacon Act, IRS wasteful spending To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate reconvened today and resumed consideration of S. 954, the farm bill. They voted 75-26 to invoke cloture (to close off debate and limit amendments) on the farm bill (S. 954). Then Democrats voted against cloture on the motion to proceed to (i.e. whether to take up) the Republican student loan bill (S. 1003), which would have relied on market forces to set sensible rates for all student loans. Senators then voted against cloture on the motion to proceed to the Senate Democrats’ bill to play politics with student loans (S. 953).
Presently, Sen. Lautenberg lays in repose in the Senate chamber to allow senators, staff, and the public to pay their respects.
WARNING: This morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the motion to proceed (i.e. whether to consider, debate, and amend) the immigration reform bill, S. 744.
The House today finished action on and passed H.R. 2217 (245-182) — "Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement praising the House for approving two bipartisan bills this week providing critical funding for homeland security, America’s veterans, and disaster recovery:dir>“Keeping America secure and taking care of our veterans are two of our most fundamental responsibilities, and the bipartisan appropriations bills passed by the House this week do both. They also make sure resources are available to help areas of the country devastated by natural disasters. And they reflect our commitment to controlling spending and responsible oversight – important parts of the Republican plan to grow the economy and help create new jobs.
“Each bill was crafted out in the open, every lawmaker had the chance to participate, and the bipartisan support they received speaks for itself. That’s what makes President Obama’s veto threat so baffling. I hope the president will stop threatening a government shutdown over these bipartisan bills and instead urge Senate Democrats to pass them as soon as possible.”NOTE: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2216) passed the House on Tuesday, and as noted above, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2217) passed today.
However, not everything is rosy for the Republicans, 36 House Republicans voted to "defeat an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have repealed the 82-year old Davis-Bacon prevailing wages mandate for federal contractors. The Davis Bacon Act has driven up the cost of Government Contracts for years costing the taxpayers billions every year. Most disappointing was that one of the Republicans was former GOP Vice Presidential candidate, Paul Ryan (R-WI). Evidently, too much pressure somehow / somewhere has motivated these Republicans to stay in bed with the unions who have been the major backer of Davis Bacon Act which inflates the costs of government contracts even when unions are not even performing the contacts.
Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens today blasted the 36 House Republicans:
The House OVersight And Government Reform Committee held a hearing on the wasteful spending by the IRs on conferences and partying. One major item was a "lavish $4.1 million training conference." The IRS has spend $49 million on 225 employee conferences over the past three years. A prior article addressed the IRS Taxpayer-funded IRS Linedancing.
Bad news on Obamacare just keeps piling up. More unfavorable polling trends evidences the law’s growing unpopularity, The problems with its implementation continue, even in places dominated by Democrats.
The Wall Street Journal reports, “Americans’ unease with President Barack Obama’s health-care law has intensified, just as the administration is gearing up to persuade people to sign up for some of its major provisions, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey finds. Prior Journal/NBC polls have found more people calling the health law a bad idea rather than a good one. But the number calling it a bad idea reached a high of 49% in a poll of 1,000 adults taken between May 30 and June 2, with 43% ‘strongly’ holding that view. Some 37% called the law a good idea. The 12-point gap between supporters and skeptics is the largest since a survey taken in March 2010, the month the health law was passed. Moreover, far more people think they will be worse off under the new law than those who think they will benefit from it, 38% to 19%, the new Journal/NBC poll found. The margin of error in the poll is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The results show rising dislike of the Affordable Care Act just four months before enrollment begins for the government-sponsored insurance exchanges, a major feature of the law.”
The WSJ notes, “Skepticism runs particularly high among those Americans who buy insurance on the individual market, one of the key groups the law is intended to help. Among those adults who currently buy insurance on their own, 48% think they will be worse off as a result of the new law, compared with the 13% who said they would be better off. Americans who have insurance coverage through the government or their employer also doubt, on the whole, that they will benefit from the new law.”
In its discussion of the poll, NBC’s FirstRead writes, “President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law remains unpopular with the American public just months before it fully goes into effect, according to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The poll shows 49 percent of Americans say they believe the Affordable Care Act is a bad idea. That’s the highest number recorded on this question since the poll began measuring it in 2009. Just 37 percent say the plan is a good idea. . . . For individuals, the current poll also finds 38 percent of respondents saying that they (and their families) will be worse off under the health care law. That’s the highest percentage of respondents to express a negative outlook toward ‘Obamacare’ since 2010, when the president signed this signature piece of legislation into law following an extended, bruising battle in Congress.”
Meanwhile, implementation of this unpopular law is beginning to worry jurisdictions across the country. The New York Post points out that New York City’s “generous health-care benefits for municipal workers might qualify as costly ‘Cadillac plans’ that get socked with significant financial penalties under ObamaCare, Mayor Bloomberg’s budget director warned yesterday. Councilman Jimmy Oddo (R-SI) raised the potentially explosive possibility during a routine budget hearing. ‘It would mean the city would get a 40 percent excise tax,’ Oddo pointed out. When he asked Budget Director Mark Page if that was a concern, he got a one-word reply: ‘Yes.’”
And in Illinois, President Obama’s home state, where the state legislature is controlled entirely by Democrats, state lawmakers still can’t agree on setting up a health care exchange as Obamacare calls for. According to the AP, “Federal officials could end up overseeing the new Illinois health insurance marketplace for years to come after lawmakers in Springfield balked again at a full embrace of President Barack Obama’s health care law. The Legislature adjourned Friday without sending Gov. Pat Quinn’s a bill on a state-run marketplace . . . . Quinn has pushed such a plan for three years without success. . . . State senators approved the bill along party lines, but the full House never voted on it before last Friday’s adjournment. A spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan noted the bill ‘didn’t have much bipartisan support’ in the Senate and would have had ‘tough sledding’ in the House. It was one more case of Obama’s home state lagging behind some other Democrat-controlled states in implementing the president’s signature domestic achievement.”
As NBC noted in its story, “GOP leaders have been unrelenting in their calls to reverse the law. ‘For the sake of my constituents in Kentucky and for the sake of Americans across the country, I urge my friends on the other side to join with Republicans and stop this ‘train wreck’ before things get even worse,’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor in April.”
Tags: Polls, Obamacare, Davis Bacon Act, IRS wasteful spending To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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