Fox Figures Claim ACA Is “Failing The Public”

Fox Contributor Siegel: Obamacare Is “A Cancer On The Health Care System.” On the November 14 edition of Fox & Friends, Dr. Marc Siegel argued that the ACA is “a cancer on the health care system because it's infiltrating normal, healthy health-care tissue.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/14/14]

Hasselbeck: Obamacare Is “Failing The Public.” In a conversation later on the same edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Eric Bolling claimed that in order to implement the ACA, the administration “fooled the public” into supporting the law, which is now “not working.” Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck went further, claiming that the ACA is “failing the public.” Co-host Steve Doocy went on to say that the idea that the ACA would help the public deal with health costs is a “fabrication.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/14/14]

Bolling: “They've Fooled Us, They've Screwed Us, And Now It's Not Working.” In a discussion about comments made by Obamacare consultant Jonathan Gruber about the law's passage, Bolling claimed that the administration “perpetrated this big hoax to get it passed, thinking [the law] was going to work, and it's not working.” He asserted that the administration “fooled us. They've screwed us, and now it's not working.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/14/14]

In Reality, Obamacare Enrollees Say The Health Law Is Working ...

Gallup: Poll Shows ACA Is Overwhelmingly Popular Among Enrollees. New polling from Gallup found that 71 percent of people who have signed up for health care coverage through the ACA say their coverage is “good or excellent.” [Politico, 11/14/14]   

People With ACA Plans Are More Likely To Be Satisfied With The Cost Of Their Coverage. Gallup also found that those newly insured on the ACA exchanges “are more satisfied than the average insured American with the cost of their health coverage”: 

In addition to newly insured Americans rating their coverage and the quality of their healthcare positively, they are more satisfied than the average insured American with the cost of their health coverage. Three in four of the newly insured say they are satisfied with this aspect of their healthcare experience, compared with 61% among the general population of those with insurance. [Gallup, 11/14/14]

Overwhelming Majority Of ACA Enrollees Plan To Renew. Gallup's polling found that a strong majority of Americans (68 percent) who had signed up for health coverage on the ACA exchanges plan to renew their coverage and a further 7 percent will look for a different ACA policy:

A majority -- 68 percent -- who received insurance through the exchanges said they plan to renew their policy, while an additional seven percent said they will look for a new policy, but through the exchanges. [Politico, 11/14/14]

Majority Of Uninsured Plan To Enroll. Gallup additionally found that a majority of currently uninsured Americans plan to enroll for health care plans through the ACA for 2015:

More than half of uninsured Americans say they plan to sign up for health coverage, a promising sign as the open enrollment period for obtaining health insurance through state and federal exchanges opens. Specifically, 55% of Americans who currently lack insurance say they plan to sign up for coverage while 35% of the uninsured say they will not get insurance and instead pay the fine as required by the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.” [Gallup, 11/13/14]

... And The Law's Positive Economic Effects Are Starting To Show

Bloomberg: Economic Experts Say The ACA Is “Trimming The Nation's Medical Bill.” Bloomberg reported that economic and health care experts are starting to see evidence of the law's positive effects and believe that the law includes “key ingredients in trimming the nation's medical bill”:

Obamacare has been criticized by Republicans as costly and unsustainable. Now, four years after its arrival, the law's mandated program cuts and the medical practices it encourages -- limiting unneeded procedures, and keeping people out of the hospital longer -- are cited by economists as key ingredients in trimming the nation's medical bill. While the recession has had an influence on the cost slowdown, it doesn't explain it all, according to policy analysts and the CBO.

“When the CBO goes back and revises their baseline, historically they've adjusted upwards,” said Tricia Neuman, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Program on Medicare Policy. “So the fact that there's been year-after-year downward adjustments is fairly remarkable since they occurred after the ACA” was signed into law. [Bloomberg, 10/5/14]