Don’t fall for campaign against ACA

When I read the Fencepost letters it is all too common to see the same few names signed to letters attacking the Affordable Care Act. If you believe them, the ACA is a “disaster” and an intrusion of government. I wonder if readers are aware that the linking of “Obamacare” and “disaster” is the result of PR campaigns that use language intended to maximize influence. It’s no coincidence that the same phrase is used by Sen. Ted Cruz, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, FoxNews and the vast network of propagandists who have made derailing this important initiative the center of their universe.

This language is focus-group tested and disseminated through an unquestioning media until it is eventually repeated in a kind of mindless way at the water cooler or family get-togethers. Mindless because facts have never been researched and opinion carries the weight of truth. Now, we see that support for the ACA is falling. This speaks less to the quality of the bill’s measures than to the imbalance in coverage of the law and the effectiveness of opponent’s messaging. Too many fail to see that “Obamacare Disaster” is no different from “Squeezably Soft,” “Just Do It,” or “Save Money. Live Better.”

I encourage the Daily Herald to run an investigative series on the ACA and to debunking the many myths that have arisen around the website and dropped plans as other news organizations have done. I also encourage fellow Americans to ask the questions that matter instead of just complacently receiving the PR messages of the bill’s opponents.

The ACA solves real problems and provides benefits to the vast majority of Americans. Is the functionality of a website characteristic of a bill that has already provided numerous improvements to the way our interests are served by for-profit health insurance companies?

David Troland

Arlington Heights