A Swing-State Slap In The Face
Americans Overwhelmingly Agree That ObamaCare Is The Wrong Treatment

On Tuesday, “Voters In Ohio Approved A Measure Tuesday Night Disapproving Of President Obama’s Health Care Law.” (Sam Baker, “Ohio Voters Reject Health Insurance Mandate,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 11/8/11)

“The Official Language Says It Is A Proposal To ‘Preserve The Freedom Of Ohioans To Choose Their Health Care.’” (Michael Scott, “Issue 3 Passes By Larger Margin Than Issues 1 And 2 Failed; 66 Percent Of 1.8 Million Votes Counted Favor Issue,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/9/11)

“Issue 3 Passes By Larger Margin Than Issues 1 And 2 …” (Michael Scott, “Issue 3 Passes By Larger Margin Than Issues 1 And 2 Failed; 66 Percent Of 1.8 Million Votes Counted Favor Issue,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/9/11)

Issue 3 Won In All 88 Ohio Counties. “A ballot measure that State Impact Ohio (a creation of local public media and NPR) describes as ‘a referendum on a constitutional amendment…aimed at keeping the national health care reform law from taking [e]ffect’ won in all 88 counties in Ohio. In 81 of the counties, it won by a margin of at least 20 percentage points. Statewide, it won by 32 points (66 to 34 percent).”(Jeffrey H. Anferson, Anti-Obamacare Measure Sweeps All 88 Counties in Ohio,” The Weekly Standard, 11/9/11)

• Including, “Cuyahoga County – A Traditional Democratic Stronghold.” (Aaron Marshall, “Ohio Voters Say No To Health Insurance Mandates, Older Judges,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/9/11)

AND JOINS THREE OTHER STATES THAT HAVE SUPPORTED SIMILAR INITIATIVES

Last Year, Oklahoma And Arizona Overwhelmingly Supported Ballot Initiatives That Rejected ObamaCare. “Oklahoma approved an opt-out ballot initiative by a 2-to-1 margin. Proposition 106 in Arizona gained 55 percent of the vote… (Sarah Kliff, “Arizona And Oklahoma Vote To Reject Insurance Mandate,” Politico, 11/3/10)

Missouri Voters Also Voted To Reject Law. “Missouri voters approved a similar measure, Proposition C, with 71 percent support on a primary ballot in August.” (Sarah Kliff, “Arizona And Oklahoma Vote To Reject Insurance Mandate,” Politico, 11/3/10)

THE REBUKE OF OBAMACARE IS NOT SURPRISING

The Hill: With Democrats, “Health Care Law’s Popularity Hits New Low.” “Even though they remain more favorable to the law than Republicans and independents, the proportion of Democrats with favorable views has decreased from about two-thirds to just 52 percent in October.” (Julian Pecquet, “Health Care Law’s Popularity Hits New Low,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 10/28/11)

• ObamaCare’s Approval Rating Is Down To 34 Percent From 41 Percent In September, Driven By A Decline In Democrat Supporters Of The Law. “Yesterday the Kaiser Family Foundation released its October tracking poll and found that only 34% of respondents have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act, down from 41% in September. Notably, the decline was due to losing Democratic supporters, who dropped to 52% support from 65% month to month. Meanwhile, 51% of the public is opposed to the vast new government health-care entitlement, up from a prior 2011 average of 45%.” (Editorial, “Less Popular All The Time,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/29/11)

Gallup: 55% Of Americans Disapprove “Of The Way Barack Obama Is Handling Health Care.” (Lydia Saad, “Obama Improves On Foreign Affairs, Struggles On Fiscal Matters,” Gallup, 11/9/11)

• Americans Have Consistently Disapproved Of Obama’s Handling Of The Issue “America’s evaluation of Obama on health care policy has been remarkably stable for most of his presidency, with the slight majority consistently disapproving.” (Lydia Saad, “Obama Improves On Foreign Affairs, Struggles On Fiscal Matters,” Gallup, 11/9/11)

WHITE HOUSE SPIN ON THE PASSAGE OF ISSUE 3 ISN’T HOLDING UP

The White House: ObamaCare “Making A Significant Difference In Lowering Costs…” “Adam Abrams, a White House spokesman, downplayed the success of Issue 3, issuing a statement noting that the federal law signed by Obama was ‘making a significant difference in lowering costs and improving care.’” (Aaron Marshall, “Ohio Voters Say No To Health Insurance Mandates, Older Judges,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/9/11)

• Kaiser Study Finds That Costs Of Family Coverage “Climbed” 9 Percent In 2011. “The average cost of a family policy climbed 9 percent in 2011 to $15,073, according to a poll of 2,088 private companies and state and local government agencies by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California, and the Chicago- based American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust.” (Jeffrey Young, “Health-Benefit Costs Rise Most In Six Years,” Bloomberg, 9/27/11)
• Costs Of Single Employee Coverage Grew 8 Percent According To The Survey. “Family plan premiums hit $15,073 on average, while coverage for single employees grew 8 percent to $5,429, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. (KHN is an editorially-independent program of the foundation.)” (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/11)

NEITHER ARE OBAMA’S WORDS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

PolitiFact: “False” Rating On Obama’s Claim That 30 Million Americans Will Receive Health Care Coverage Next Year Under ObamaCare. “Obama said ‘Thirty million Americans, including a lot of people in Florida, are going to be able to get health care next year because of that law.’ The CBO, a nonpartisan source, predicts only 1 million people will benefit in 2012, with the significant increases coming in 2014 and 2016. Plus, the law’s future is uncertain. The president is understandably enthusiastic about seeing his signature legislation take effect. But he misstated the timing of how many people will gain health insurance and when. It’s not happening next year. We rate his statement as False.”(“False: Obama Says Health Law Will Kick In For Millions Next Year,” PolitiFact, 11/3/11)

• CBO Estimates That Only 1 Million Americans Will Gain Health Care Coverage In 2012. “The Congressional Budget Office estimates that next year only about 1 million more Americans will gain health insurance.” (“False: Obama Says Health Law Will Kick In For Millions Next Year,” PolitiFact, 11/3/11)