What can Obama and his team do about all this? They’ve already delayed the mandate twice. A third time would further diminish the credibility of the law and of the administration.
Canceling the mandate is not a likely course. First, it would require action by a gridlocked Congress, which is divided on the 2010 law. Second, it would create a $150 billion hole in the budget that pays for subsidies to low- and middle-income individuals buying health insurance. That money comes from fines paid by companies that don’t comply with the law, a redistribution of wealth that the White House doesn’t like to acknowledge.
That brings me to the first thing Obama and his team need to do: Be honest. Discuss directly and truthfully the trade-offs required to expand health insurance. Empathize with its critics, rather than demonize them. Stop spinning and start leading.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member