The latest Republican line about Obamacare, given its success in getting a helluva lot of people health insurance, is that
it doesn't count because it's government coverage. An example, former House Speaker John Boehner
saying "[g]iving people Medicaid insurance is almost like giving them nothing, because you can't find a doctor that will see Medicaid patients."
Well look what's the third most popular healthcare system in the country:
That's the latest Gallup survey on health insurance satisfaction. Veterans and military members give their health care 78 percent approval, Medicare enrollees 77 percent, and Medicaid enrollees 57 percent.
Americans who get their health insurance through government-sponsored or assisted plans, such as Medicare and Medicaid or veterans insurance, are more likely to be satisfied with the way the healthcare system is working for them than those who have employer-paid insurance or who pay for insurance themselves. There may be a number of reasons for this, such as government plans being more inclusive and having a lower direct cost to the insured person than employer plans or personally paid-for plans. Additionally, the question asks about healthcare generally, and not cost specifically. Therefore, other aspects of the government plans such as access to more specialists, the availability of different services or ease of scheduling appointments may also factor into the higher satisfaction levels.
This is also, by the way, an argument for the position that transitioning to Medicare for all wouldn't be that hard of a sell to the American public. The system works and works well and everyone (except the same 25-ish percent who still insist George W. Bush was a great president) loves it. Time for reformers to start pivoting to that argument.
