Sink or Swim? The Future of Obamacare

By Ashley Pratte

Friday, February 07, 2014

Young people are supposed to be in Obama’s back pocket and among his most enthusiastic supporters, but now the jury is out and the numbers show that many think Obamacare is one of his worst accomplishments as President or are indifferent to his signature legislation.

Young America’s Foundation (YAF) has released new nationwide poll findings on Obamacare, conducted by the polling company, inc., which surveyed 1,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 24. Just 25 percent of young adults believe that Obamacare is one of the best accomplishments of Obama’s presidency, compared to 36 percent who believe it’s one of the worst.

However, the most interesting finding was that 33 percent of young people don’t believe Obamacare is the best nor the worst accomplishment of Obama’s presidency. It is possible that millennials are equating Obama’s presidency with healthcare reform since he has been its biggest champion throughout its proposal, passage, and botched rollout.

Given the fact that Obama lied to the American people when he told them “if you like your healthcare plan you can keep it,” it is no surprise that he is rapidly losing support among millennials. Our poll found that only six percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 more favorable to the President after he misled them with the lie of the year. Compare this with an astonishing 68 percent who are less favorable to Obama after he deliberately lied to the American people when he told them that if they liked their healthcare plan, they could keep it. The Foundation’s poll showed that given the recent scandals, 50 percent of young people were most bothered by the public being misled about the workability of healthcare reform.

The unpopularity of Obamacare isn’t shocking though given the fact that only 24 percent of young people have actually enrolled since the opening of the exchange. This goes to show that young people are not eager to enroll in Obamacare nor do they find it in their best interest to do so. The truth of the matter is young people are expected to subsidize healthcare for the older and sicker generation and the cost of implementing Obamacare falls on the backs of the young and healthy.

The administration can blame a terrible Obamacare rollout on a bad public relations campaign but the truth is, young people are no longer buying what they’re selling. The administration is going to have a very difficult time encouraging young people to enroll regardless of what Hollywood, A-list celebrities they enlist to help advertise.

In conclusion, these numbers don’t bode well for the future of Obamacare or for the administration. The White House continues to pitch to millennials the idea of talking to one another about enrolling, but young people are not willing to sign up or recommend signing up to one another. Obamacare is under water right now and young people are the ones who are necessary to keep it afloat, but what happens when they cause it to sink? The future of Obamacare is about as bright as that of the Titanic, the American people better hope that there are enough lifeboats to bail them out of this disaster.