Huge enrollment numbers for Obamacare: CA: 15,000 sign-ups daily NY: 4,500 daily CT: 1,400 daily KY: 3,000 daily
http://t.co/...
— @igorvolsky
xpostfactoid
If only Obama would say what he's never stopped saying. If only he would do what he's done.
If only he'd lead.
Greg Sargent:
Do Americans favor government intervention in the economy, and do they recoil at class based appeals?
A new poll sheds some interesting light on these questions, which are at the center of the debate over the degree to which Democrats should emphasize the need to combat inequality as a defining issue of the party and of our time.
Short version: While generic “government” still polls badly, the notion that government should act to combat inequality is popular, even among independents and moderates — and particularly among core Democratic voter groups.
Andrew Gelman at The Monkey Cage:
‘None, it seems, are happier than the Tea Partiers . . .’ Umm, maybe not.
Whoa, WaPo: "Prosecutors told...McDonnell last week he & his wife would be charged...but delayed after...face-to-face appeal in Washington."
— @AlecMacGillis
More politics and policy below the fold.
Fascinating read from NY Times:
Americans who lack medical coverage disapprove of President Obama’s health care law at roughly the same rate as the insured, even though most say they struggle to pay for basic care, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
The Fix:
The myriad problems with the rollout of HealthCare.gov and the Obamacare exchanges have pushed President Obama’s approval ratings to a new low and, to hear many tell it, might give Republicans a leg up in the 2014 election.
But tucked into the new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Tuesday is a cautionary tale for the GOP.
It is this: Despite the country’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act and Obama’s leadership on it, it doesn’t want to turn the reins over to Republicans.
Danny Vinik:
For these reasons, the enrollment totals aren't nearly as important as the media makes them out to be. The December figures will be more informative than the October and November data, but they still will only be a piece in a much larger puzzle that will take years to complete.
"I know people are impatient," Levitt said. "but it’s important to wait a little bit and let things shake out."
I really like that Levitt guy. He says things I say. ;-P
And even more Levitt from Sarah Kliff:
The rumors of an Obamacare death spiral have been greatly exaggerated.
So say Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton and Anthony Damico, experts at the Kaiser Family Foundation who have put together a new brief analyzing what would happen if young adults snubbed the Affordable Care Act. Even if young people sign up at half the rate the administration hopes for, it would nudge premiums up only by a few percentage points, their report says.
"When you do the math, it matters, but not nearly as much as the conventional wisdom suggests," Levitt says.
Joe Rojas-Burke:
Eating healthy: Prohibitively expensive or surprisingly cheap?
Ryan White:
Report: Where You Live Shapes Kids’ Care
Health stories!