What People Really Hate Is Not Obamacare, It's The Insurance Mandate

Yet another poll shows that Americans, Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike, overwhelming support the individual pieces of health care reform.  What they don't like is the mandate to buy insurance.

As has been the case in poll after poll, people like certain parts of the law.

Some 85 percent liked the discount on brand-name prescription drugs for certain Medicare recipients, while 79 percent backed subsidies for low and middle income people to buy coverage. Also getting more than two-thirds support was the law’s voluntary long-term care insurance program and expanding Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for lower-income people.

There’s also strong opposition to a favorite Republican tactic: Not providing funds to implement the legislation. Sixty two percent disapproved of that strategy.

However, Republicans enjoy strong support for one of their major targets; only 23 percent back the mandate that most people must buy coverage by 2014.

So no, people overwhelming support the health care bill's individual provisions, and they don't want the Republicans to defund it.  When you hear "the people are against Obamacare" they are not...they are against the mandate forcing them to purchase health insurance.

There's a difference.  The argument to replace the mandate with the public option instead would make tremendous sense.