Dems Hide ObamaCare's Worst Features Until Election
By TIM PHILLIPS, Investor's Business Daily
President Obama is engaged in a monumental sleight of hand on ObamaCare.
The administration's public pronouncements on the law — reinforced by surrogates and friends in the Senate, in the media and elsewhere on the left — invariably claim that the law is working. Yet the American people never got the memo.
Fully 51% of Americans still oppose the law; only 39% support it.
In recognition of this dismal record, the White House is quietly working to hide the law's looming ill effects from voters until after the midterm elections on Nov. 4.
The end goal? Prevent a backlash at the ballot box that could imperil the law's existence.
Last week, the Obama administration unveiled a revamped version of Healthcare.gov, the online portal where people purchase ObamaCare plans.
Administration officials praised it for simplifying the purchase process and making it easier for customers to understand what plans they're buying.
There's just one thing missing from this new website: the cost of premiums. Instead, these key data will be available starting only the second week of November — conveniently, one week after the midterm elections.
The political calculation is clear: Protect the incumbent congressmen and senators who voted for ObamaCare and who are now fighting for their electoral lives.
If premiums increase significantly — as they will in many states that have already announced rates for next year — voters will certainly be angry.
After all, ObamaCare was sold on the promise that it would make health care more affordable and even lower average premiums by up to $2,500 a year.
It is thus in the White House's interest to delay the news that this promise has been broken until after Nov .4.
For those incumbents, angry constituents writing letters is preferable to angry voters heading to the polls.
This political gamesmanship likely also explains the start date of Healthcare.gov's open enrollment period for next year's plans — Nov. 15. That's 11 days after the midterms. Compared with last year, enrollment starts a full 45 days later.
The accountability dodge is again plain to see. Healthcare.gov became the laughing stock of the nation last year when it couldn't go 10 minutes without a catastrophic glitch.
It wasn't too funny to the millions of people who were forced to spend hours, days, weeks and even months simply trying to find a health care plan.
By waiting to open enrollment until after the election, the White House is ensuring the new Healthcare.gov failures won't be fresh on voters' minds when they enter the voting booth.
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