President Barack Obama has begun making the rounds to promote his ObamaCare socialized medicine law and try to convince senior citizens in particular that it’s a “good deal” for them.
He started out with a trip to Wheaton, Md., proudly proclaiming the $250 checks that will be sent to millions of Americans on Medicare to help pay for prescriptions. The checks — which add to our $13 trillion national debt — will be mailed over the next few months to try to shore up Mr. Obama’s popularity with seniors, who are rightly skeptical that ObamaCare is good for them or the country.
The president was misleading when a listener calling in from Illinois asked whether senior citizens in Medicare Advantage plans will lose benefits. The fact is, the Congressional Budget Office says Medicare Advantage clients will lose some benefits under ObamaCare, which steers hundreds of billions of dollars out of Medicare. But Mr. Obama declared, “What you need to know is that the guaranteed Medicare benefits that you’ve earned will not change.” That’s simply false.
It does not appear that senior citizens or the American people as a whole are taking Mr. Obama’s claims at face value.
In a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, 63 percent of senior citizens said they favor repeal of ObamaCare. That is remarkably strong opposition, considering that they are a key group whom ObamaCare supposedly will help the most. Overall, 56 percent of those responding to the survey favored repeal, with only 39 percent opposed. Most said the law will increase federal budget deficits and the cost of care, and half said it will harm the quality of care.
We can see why Mr. Obama is making an all-out push to sell the American people on the supposed “benefits” of deeply unpopular ObamaCare. He is fearful of losing lots of Democrat seats in Congress in the November elections. But most Americans have grave reservations about the law. Adding to our catastrophic national debt by sending out $250 checks to some senior citizens is not likely to change many minds.