Quick Guide: Post-Passage Message

13 October 2010

The use of simple and credible personal stories wrapped around a benefit facilitates a considerable shift in the public's support of the health law.

Use Benefits 'Persuadable' Voters Value

In order of popularity:

1. Bans denials due to pre-existing conditions;
2. No more dropping patients when they get sick;
3. Ends lifetime Caps;
4. Provides tax credits for small businesses;
5. Offers no-cost preventive care.

Keep it Simple:

Communications should be educative. The language should be personal (how they will benefit from the law) to the audience being addressed. Big rhetorical claims are less powerful and undermine overall credibility.

Women:

Women are a crucial audience and also ideal messengers. Rectifying inequities in women's health and covering preventive care without co-pays or other out-of-pocket costs stand out as key benefits of the law for women.

It Ain't Perfect:

Use "bridge" statements about the law to relax defensiveness. "The law isn't perfect, but a great start at helping Americans. We need to improve it, not repeal it."

In the Same Boat:

To build trust with the public, it is helpful to say that Members of Congress will be required to participate in the same plans as the rest of the country.

Seniors:

Seniors respond to personal stories (if the stories are about seniors) that reassure basic Medicare benefits are protected. Seniors also respond to the law providing no cost to you preventative care; aggressively cracking down on waste, fraud, abuse; supporting home living; and improving nursing home standards.

Examples

• "Bill of rights kick-in for patients" in Politico by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) – "I recently learned about the case of a young Iowan. During her first year at college, she had to have multiple surgeries because of Crohn's disease and was forced to drop all her classes. In turn, her health insurer canceled her policy. Four years and seven surgeries later, she was $180,000 in debt and forced to file for bankruptcy. This is exactly the kind of heartbreaking, destructive predicament that the Affordable Care Act and its Patient's Bill of Rights are designed to prevent. The new law is ushering in landmark changes in America's health care system."
• "Look You in the Eye" White House blog by Stephanie Cutter - "As the President said yesterday, "I want to see them come and talk to Gail or talk to Dawn or talk to any of you who now have more security as a consequence of this act, and I want them to look you in the eye and say, sorry, Gail, you can't buy health insurance; or, sorry, little Wes, he's going to be excluded when it comes to an eye operation that he might have to get in the future." ...There's a long list of Americans featured in our 50 states/50 stories project who will suffer if the Congressional Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act becomes a reality. Read their stories by clicking here. And good luck explaining to them that repealing a law that they are now benefiting from and putting insurance companies back in charge is the right thing to do."
• "New Health Reforms Kick-in Today," Mark Udall Press Release - "In August 2009, I heard the story of now second-grader Thomas Wilkes from Englewood, whose family must spend - because of his hemophilia - $40,000 dollars a month to pay for life-sustaining medication. Because of annual limits imposed by insurance companies on benefits, Thomas' parents faced bankruptcy and the inability to pay for his care. They actually considered divorce just so that their respective income levels would qualify him for Medicaid in order for him to get the care he needed to stay alive."
• Former President Bill Clinton - "This healthcare is not perfect, but if we hadn't passed this healthcare bill, we'd never get a system we're proud of," Clinton said. "We need to build on the good that's in this bill, not repeal it."