More battles to be fought over health care reform

Many Americans remain divided on health reform, and their opinion hasn’t necessarily changed now that the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Opponents plan to use the issue in the November election and supporters acknowledge they need to convince more people of the law’s merits.

Various polls have shown Americans split on the Affordable Care Act; a New York Times/CBS poll conducted before the Supreme Court ruling showed two-thirds of those surveyed hoped some or all of the law would be struck down. The bitter battles that took place to get the law enacted could resurface. Mark Moody heads the Madison based insurer WEA Trust; he thinks health reform is a step forward, although it’s not perfect. “I think the concerns with federal reform have been distorted and blown out of proportion for political purposes. If we look back, Medicare was not perfect when it started, when it was enacted. And it’s not perfect right now. But it’s become one of the most—if not the most—respected health plans in the country.”

Wisconsin started planning for federal health reform under former Gov. Jim Doyle. Doyle now is co-chair of a pro-reform group called Know Your Care. He says educating the public about the Affordable Care Act’s provisions may win more people over: “There has been a tremendous amount of misinformation right from the start with all this stuff about ‘death panels’ and things that just were not true. And as this law rolls out, I think each time a portion of this rolled out, people really understand how important and good it is.”