House Republicans are launching a coordinated messaging campaign this summer to hammer home to the public their views about the negative effects of Obamacare.
According to Politico, the House Obamacare Accountability Project will bring together a group of roughly 25 GOP members to raise public awareness of the consequences of the new healthcare law they say will cause premiums to climb, health costs to soar, and people to lose employer-sponsored coverage.
"We have to win the debate on the consequences of the bill. Because for patients, for families, for local businesses, for healthcare providers, there is an awful lot of anxiety and fear," Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, a member of the group,
told Politico. "We're going to focus on shining a bright light on the new law and what it means to people."
Short of repealing Obamacare — something the House of Representatives has voted 37 times to do — the group thinks that roll-out town hall meetings in August could reinforce long-held Republican opposition to the law, which to date has mainly been communicated in the halls of Congress.
The group also intends to equip members with information take to constituents. By Jan. 1, everyone will be required to have health coverage, either an employer-sponsored plan or government-approved health care purchased through state exchanges. Individuals face fines if they remain uninsured.
"As all of this begins to happen, there's going to be quite a bit of backlash, and our members need to know how to deal with that," Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts, another member of the group, told Politico.
In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released this week, 49 percent of respondents said they believe Obamacare is a bad idea, while 37 percent say they support it.