Of all the major national issues controlling the 2012 presidential election, health care seemed to be the signature issue. For President Barack Obama, Obamacare is the defining accomplishment of his 2008-2012 presidency. So for Mitt Romney and the GOP, of course, this was one of the key points used in his 2012 campaign. As part of the republican platform, repealing Obamacare is one of the more focused goals of the Republican Party.
Ever since it was signed into law in March 2010, Obamacare has been seen as a controversial law by many Americans. With pressure from the Republican Party and other non-supporters, it was a shock to see the constitutionality upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2012.
But what is all the controversy over? In a Gallup poll taken in June 2012, 52 percent of Americans said they would repeal part, if not all, of the law. Similarly, in a 2012 Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56 percent of people surveyed were against the new Obamacare plan. Of course Romney’s campaigning and GOP propaganda has done its best to demonize this new health care plan and paint it out as exactly what America doesn’t need. There are many aspects to the new health care plan that don’t make much sense at all or seem necessary. Open any pamphlet or watch any ad on Obamacare and you’ll hear about how much it burdens businesses to provide health care coverage to their employees or how it drains $716 billion out of Medicare to fund itself. But, the real problem people and the Republican Party have with the new health care plan is the mandate. Nobody likes to be told what to do, much less buy something they may not be able to afford. Fail to comply with this mandate and one faces the penalty of an annual fee, which gets thrown up to the IRS, and nobody likes the IRS. With already low approval ratings for the IRS amid the whole scandal, I don’t see this plan gaining much more favor.
When the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, it was upheld not as a regulation of commerce, but as a tax. Another tax Obama promised he would not burden on the middle class. Of all the points the GOP has been attacking Obamacare on, I feel they haven’t pushed this fact as much as they should. The only thing Americans pull out of this new plan is universal health care, and of course that is a great idea many people would agree on. The problem then lies on the failure for Americans to fully understand, or have some understanding, of what Obamacare consists of and how it affects us, the medical community and our economy. If Romney and the GOP would have hit harder on the fact that the new plan is a tax burden, I feel people would have a better understanding of why Republicans are so against this new health care plan.
As mentioned earlier, this is probably the highlight to be recognized in Obama’s presidency, which is very surprising that this was all he managed to do during his first term, a term where his party controlled Congress yet still managed to claim the title of “The do nothing 112th.” Romney made a good effort in pointing out that in Obama’s first two years in office, during a Democratic Party majority congress, he didn’t get anything major passed or even come up with a balanced budget in more than 1,000 days. This has got to be a red flag to Obama supporters and many undecided voters. Like many Americans, I’m disappointed to see that in these past four years in office, Obamacare is all Obama has to show for himself.
Three years out from the next presidential election, the GOP is still determined to kill Obamacare with promises that the next president will be Republican and will execute these promises. I do not know what issues will be facing America in the next three years, but I don’t doubt Obamacare will still be a dominating issue. As new phases of Obamacare begin to take effect, we may see a lessening focus on its eradication as people accept the new policies. However, if things turn sour in a hurry, as many —including myself — believe, we could find ourselves right back in November 2012 with candidates finely split between pro-Obamacare and anti-Obamacare.