MELISSA: SURPRISE FINDING, A NEW
POLL REVEAL AMERICANS VIEW
OBAMACARE MORE FAVORABLY THAN
THE GOP TAX CUT?
WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR THE
MIDTERM ELECTIONS.
HERE IS HADLEY HEATH MANNING,
INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S FORUM POLICY
DIRECTOR.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
FIRST I HAVE TO SAY I DISCOUNT
POLLS NOW, AND PEOPLE HATE IT
WHEN I SAY THIS, PEOPLE WHO PAY
FOR POLLS, BUT AFTER THE LAST
ELECTION, YOU HAVE TO TAKE EVERY
POLL WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
GIVEN THAT, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THIS?
>> WE'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME
OBAMACARE IS DIVISIVE ISSUE.
THE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO SAY
THEY FAVOR IT, EVEN SUPPORT IT
IN THIS POLL IS 51%.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING TO WRITE
HOME ABOUT, HOWEVER THE GOP TAX
PLAN IS 40% APPROVAL THAT SHOULD
BE CONCERNING FOR REPUBLICANS.
IT SHOULD BE REMINDER THEY NEED
TO COMMUNICATE WELL WHAT THE LAW
DOES, STATE OF THE ECONOMY.
REMINDING PEOPLE, OBJECTIVE OUR
ECONOMY IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, OBAMACARE IS
8-YEAR-OLD LAW NOW, IT IS
FROM THE LAW, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE
NEWLY-ENROLLED IN MEDICAID AND
GENEROUS TAXPAYER-FUNDED
SUBSIDIES TO LOWER THEIR COST OF
INSURANCE.
THEY MAY NOT SEE THE COST OF
UNFAVORABLES ARE REALLY HIGH.
MORE THAN ARE FAVOR ANN, AND
PEOPLE, THEY HATE, THEY'RE QUICK
TO SAY THEY HATE STUFF TOO.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
WHY I SAID IT HAS BEEN DIVISIVE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO, JUST AS
PEOPLE WHO PERCEIVE THOSE
BENEFITS TO BE HELPING THEM,
THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE OTHER
HAND, AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SEEN THEIR
PREMIUMS GO UP.
THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T GET
SUBSIDIES THAT I MENTIONED.
TOGETHER AFTER THEY WERE
PROMISED TO KEEP THE PLANS THEY
LIKED.
THOSE PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY FOUND
NEW MEANS TO TAKE CARE OF
THEMSELVES NOW.
THEY JOINED HEALTH CARE SHARING
MINISTRIES.
THEY MAY HAVE DIRECT PRIMARY
CARE ARRANGEMENTS WITH DOCTORS.
THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO
SCRAP TOGETHER WHAT THEY HAD
BEFORE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT,
WHICH IS TO SAY AN AFFORDABLE
INSURANCE PLAN.
MELISSA: YEAH.
I ALSO HEARD SOMEONE ELSE AING
TODAY, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS
PRETTY SMART, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THESE POLLS, DOESN'T NECESSARILY
TRANSLATE TO TURNOUT.
DOES THAT MAKE THEM FEEL A
CERTAIN WAY ABOUT A CANDIDATE?
VOTE?
IF YOU TRY AND TRANSLATE THIS TO
THE MIDTERMS, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THIS TELLS US ABOUT THE
MIDTERMS, IF ANYTHING?
>> WELL, OF COURSE IN ADDITION
HOW VOTERS ARE WEIGHTING THOSE
ISSUES.
OBAMACARE, ALTHOUGH WAS A BIG
SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION IN 2017,
HASN'T BEEN AT THE CENTER OF THE
DEBATE IN 2018.
DEMOCRATS ARE MOVING TO THE LEFT
AND PROPOSING MEDICARE FOR ALL.
I THINK THAT WILL BE MORE OF AN
ISSUE ON THE HEALTH CARE FRONT.
AS YOU MENTIONED LIKELIHOOD OF
ASKING UNTIL LATER IN SEPTEMBER.
WE'RE STILL A LOT OF US ON
SUMMER TIME, UNTIL THE KIDS GET
BACK IN SCHOOL AND BUCKLING DOWN
TO PAYING ATTENTION TO CURRENT
EVENTS, A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T
SURE THEY WILL VOTE OR HOW.
MIDTERM IF YOU HAVE TO PICK A
ISSUE?
>> THE ECONOMY IS WRAPPED INTO
ONE.
TAX PLAN, THE TARIFFS, THE TRADE
DEALS.
I THINK THAT WILL BE THE NUMBER
PARTISAN LENS WHICH THEY YOU
VIEW THE ECONOMY.
VERY GOOD.
MUCH, SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
ALL-OUT DEBATE OVER THE
STATISTICS AND INDICATORS AROUND
WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN IN
PEOPLE'S POCKETBOOKS.