Looking at the polling data out this week on health care and the public opinion on it, confusion seems to be the conclusion. Even listening to the Progressive Caucuses press conference on the demand for a robust public option, I was confused and it seemed to become an exercise in confusion among the members when they were asked questions by the press. Why are Democrats making this so complicated?
How about Obama and the Democrats getting together and drop any mention of "public plan" or "robust public plan" or "viable public plan" or even the overused "single payer" and simply use a word familiar to most Americans and all Canadians: MEDICARE
Yeah I know that would be too simple. Telling the American public:
"You and/or your employer will have the right to purchase an insurance policy with the program commonly known as MEDICARE. You get all the coverage that anyone over 65 gets, including the new revised prescription drug plan, and you get it for a reasonable monthly fee. If you can't afford the premium, we'll help you pay for it."
How about folding SCHIP and Medicaid in there while we are at it.
Simplify the system and simplify the talking points.
It seems that the more the public is confused, especially the elderly, the lower the support goes. If the elderly were simply told we are expanding Medicare to let anyone buy in, it seems to me you could much more easily make the case that their benefits won't be cut because the bigger pool wouldn't let it happen. Right now they seem to believe that cutting their Medicare is the way to pay for all the other change proposed.
K.I.S.S. is the only way to get a good bill passed. And the path to single payer, I believe, lies in using the words MEDICARE FOR ALL.