Former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday that Obamacare might need to be called something else in the future because of its current negative connotations.
“Obamacare, no question, has a very bad brand that has been driven intentionally by a lot of misinformation and a lot of paid advertising, and I think we may need to call it something in the future different, but it’s working,” she said at an event hosted by Politico.
President Obama actually made somewhat of a different prediction earlier in the fall about the name of his signature law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, saying it is going to be opponents who won’t want to use the label down the road.
“We’re actually saving money because the system is getting smarter and there’s more preventive care instead of emergency care, and we’re changing how health care is delivered,” he said. “Which is why I’m pretty sure that in 10 years they’re not going to call it Obamacare anymore. Republicans will be like, oh, I was for that, yes. That’s how that works.”
Regardless of any possible name change, Mrs. Sebelius, who stepped down in April after overseeing last fall’s rocky initial launch of the Obamacare website, also said she thinks it’s working.
“Not only are people getting coverage — largest drop in uninsured rates in this country, the lowest health care cost growth in this country ever recorded — so it’s actually doing what it’s supposed to do and creating a competitive market for people who had no choice,” she said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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