Monday, January 25, 2010

Is the bill unpopular, or just what we THINK the bill is?

Nate Silver has a great illustration of the fact that people have a tendency to dislike the bill without knowing what's actually in it:


It should also be noted that the least popular part of the package, the mandate, is required to accompany the many popular reforms. If we enforce that insurers cannot deny coverage for preexisting conditions, then there is no incentive for everyone to go without coverage until they need it. It's also an important part of how to keep premiums down in the long run.

This is to serve as a more substantial explanation of why I stated that those who are interested in reform at all agree the bill should be passed. I suppose another qualifier – in addition to "interest in health reform" – should be "knowing what's in the bill."

No comments:

Post a Comment