Marsha Blackburn

I am never surprised at the wisdom of the people of Tennessee. Recently, the Tennessean and other media outlets conducted a poll to gauge the support of Tennesseans for the health care law. The results speak volumes for the failure of the Obama Administration to listen to the people. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters surveyed said they oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Only 30 percent said they support it.

Independent voters opposed the plan by 59 percent to 25 percent. With the vast majority of Tennesseans opposing Obamacare, it is pretty clear that politicians should be looking at alternatives to a bad law. The poll conducted by the Tennessean mirrors what the American people think – and the fact is they don’t like the health care law.

One of the points made repeatedly by Tennesseans was that they didn’t like TennCare, and distrusted the Obama Administration’s efforts to change health care so dramatically. Part of that is reflected in the mistrust of the voter for liberal Democrats in Washington, and an equally important part is the fear of the future for our seniors under Obamacare.

Sadly, Tennesseans have every right to mistrust the Democrat leadership team of Pelosi and Reid. Who can forget the rush to pass the legislation, because as Speaker Pelosi said “we have to pass the bill, so you can read what’s in it. “ Somehow, that always seemed a little backwards to me. Kind of like taking a test and then studying for it after you take it.

Tennesseans also have every right to be fearful of the future of our seniors under the President’s health care law. The Democrats did their best to hide the fact that millions of seniors will be dramatically affected when the provisions of the new law are in effect. The President and Pelosi and Reid kept saying that the new law would not affect those on Medicare. But they never took it to the next logical step. Medicare only pays 80 percent of the costs of hospitalization, doctor’s visits and diagnostic testing. Millions of seniors, who live on limited fixed incomes, opted in for programs called “Medicare Advantage” plans. Those plans pick up the costs that Medicare doesn’t pay. Now we know that those Medicare Advantage Plans will be facing drastic cuts, and seniors who rely on them will find themselves with premiums and charges that they simply can’t afford.

Tennesseans know that the new health care law will cause major problems for one of our most respected and vulnerable groups – seniors.