Democrats like health reform better when it’s called ‘Obamacare.’ Republicans not so much.

[babylonsister]

Democrats like health reform better when it’s called ‘Obamacare.’ Republicans not so much.

By Sandhya Somashekhar, Published: June 19, 2013 at 4:32 pm


It’s no secret that the term “Obamacare” gets a reaction from people. But some new numbers from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggest it’s true not just for critics of the health law.

According to the nonpartisan group’s June tracking poll, support for the health law among Democrats jumps dramatically when labeled “Obamacare,” vs. the plain old “health reform law” language some of us old school media types prefer. (Fun fact: The Washington Post stylebook discourages the use of the word “reform” because it implies change for the better. Some words it suggests instead are “restructuring, retooling and revision.”)

According to the poll, overall favorability of the law jumps from 35 percent to 42 percent when the term “Obamacare” is used. That’s almost entirely due to the enthusiastic reception it gets from Democrats, 58 percent of whom responded favorably to “health reform law,” compared with 73 percent for “Obamacare.”

Independents in the poll reacted about the same to both descriptors (about a third responded favorably while around a half responded unfavorably). Among Republicans, 76 percent responded unfavorably to “the health reform law.” That number jumped to 86 percent when “Obamacare” was used.

This is the first time Kaiser has asked such a question, but it likely results at least in part from Democrats’ aggressive efforts to reclaim the term, which started happening about this time last year, when we were awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the law. In July, the president reclaimed it himself.

“You know what?” Obama said in a speech in San Antonio. “They’re right, I do care. I care about folks who get sick and go bankrupt. I care about parents who don’t know whether or not they’re going to be able to get treatment for their kids. It was the right thing to do.”

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/19/democrats-like-health-reform-better-when-its-called-obamacare-republicans-not-so-much/

[RC]

1. I'll like it much better when it will be called Single Payer, Universal Health Care.

Get those money suckin' greedy, useless, parasitical, middlemen out from between the doctors and their patients.
Just think of the money we will save then.

[historylovr]

3. Amen! nt

[area51]

6. +1

If Obama cared so much about people getting sick & going bankrupt, the ACA won't stop this from happening. He should have had an attack of morality and pushed for single-payer, or at the very least, a public option.

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. I told those stupid Republicans...

I told them 100 times that they were making a BIG mistake, naming health care reform after the President. Those kind of names have a way of sticking. But they didn't listen. They kept right on calling it "Obamacare", trying to use the man's very name to discourage people from supporting the program. A five year old could have seen the folly of that plan.

Looks like I was right again. I love the name, and will use it forever.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Years and decades from now there will certainly be no mistaking who actually cared about us

to do something and who didn't.

BTW McCain, how's that "blank piece of paper" health care reform plan coming along?

[msongs]

5. it's romneycare with a few changes, repubs should love it, right? oh, romney lost, never mind nt