Three months after health care reform was first rolled out, House Republicans are claiming that the legislation has not lived up to promises.
In a report issued on Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner said Obama's health care reform legislation has already failed on multiple fronts.
The report, "Obamacare: Three Months of Broken Promises," claims that three things are clear about Obama's new health care law three months after it became law: "First, the American people remain squarely opposed to it. Second, it is off to a rocky start, having failed to live up to specific promises made by President Obama and Washington Democrats. Third, Republicans have listened to the American people, heard the rising public backlash against the new law, and offered better solutions."
Boehner scrutinizes a series of claims that Obama has made about his signature health care reform legislation, arguing that the bill has failed to create jobs, keep taxes down, decrease the deficit, or allow individuals to keep their own plans if they choose - among other gripes.
"Too much is at stake for any elected official - Republican, Democrat, or independent - to stand idle while ObamaCare continues to destroy jobs, hurt our economy, and increase the burden on families and small businesses," Boehner concludes. "Republicans recognize that we work for the taxpayer, not the other way around."
Sensing that the public's perception of ObamaCare is likely to play an important role in the November elections, Boehner's report naturally strives to advance the Republican agenda:
"This report is the latest chapter in Republicans' efforts to address the public's continued
disapproval of a law they did not want in the first place," the report says. "While Republicans continue to offer better solutions, Washington Democrats still refuse to listen."
Democrats, meanwhile, are waging PR battles of their own (and have been ever since the the law was passed in March). The president's pollster sent out a memo earlier this month insisting voters are turning toward Democrats on health reform. And Obama has hosted a series of events touting what he sees as the immediate triumphs of the legislation.
One thing that's less up for debate is what the polls say. This morning's USA Today/Gallup poll shows that 49 percent of Americans think the Affordable Care Act is a "good thing," while 46 percent think it's a "bad thing." And an aggregate chart at Pollster.com shows support rising and opposition falling.