The Obamacare Question That Has Democrats Terrified

With just 191 days until the Nov. 4 midterm elections, nervous Democrats are scrambling to find an effective answer to the Obamacare question they may fear the most: “Where is the $2,500 in health insurance savings President Obama and Democrats promised me?”

As the video below demonstrates, President Barack Obama promised numerous times that Obamacare would cut the typical American family’s health insurance premiums by $2,500 per year.

Indeed, the question has already stumped Democratic lawmakers. During a February town hall in Mankato, Minnesota, one citizen asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) about the $2,500 Obamacare promise.

“I thought the Affordable Care Act would save $2,500 per family. What happened?”

Klobuchar and Walz sat stunned and silent before laughing at the citizen’s question.

Obamacare has been in effect for over four years but remains deeply unpopular. That means the $2,500 Obamacare question could become the 2014 equivalent of President Ronald Reagan’s famous question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

The overwhelming majority of Americans are facing health insurance premium hikes, not savings. On Thursday, Aetna, America’s third-largest health insurer, announced that customers can expect 2015 premium spikes that in some states will be “over double digits.”

Recent polls show that nearly one in five voters (19%) say a congressional candidate’s position on Obamacare will be the “single most important factor” determining who they will vote for. Worse for Democrats, the all-important Independent voter bloc supports anti-Obamacare candidates by a 25% margin (54% to 29%).

Vulnerable Democrats may worry that last year’s Politifact “Lie of the Year” by President Obama – “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan” – may come back to haunt them. However, with the sluggish U.S. economy and bleak jobs outlook weighing heavily on voters, the “Where is the $2,500 in savings Democrats and Obama promised me?” question may hit even more voters closer to home.