According to Politico the Senate Democrats are urging the White House and President Barack Obama to fix the issues with Obamacare. There is a fear that if things are not fixed then the democrats could be in real jeopardy of losing the Senate in the 2014 mid term elections.
The Politico story paints a picture that democratic senators from red states — the most vulnerable incumbents up for reelection next year — voted for Obamacare and have been among the law’s biggest champions, believing that voters would embrace it once they experienced its benefits. They could end up being some of the law’s most prominent casualties if its unpopularity continues to grow.
If voters continue experiencing problems like a balky website, canceled policies and higher premiums, the fallout could be brutal next November, Democrats acknowledge.
The Senators most at risk according to Politico are Democrats: Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina — all have defended the law in the face of GOP attacks. But their frustration with the White House is showing, whether it’s Pryor and Hagan backing an extension of Obamacare’s enrollment period,or Landrieu proposing legislation to ensure insurance policyholders won’t lose their existing coverage.
While acknowledging problems, the White House says it is making an enormous push to ensure that the law’s hangups will soon be fixed and that millions of uninsured Americans will eventually be able to receive low-cost, quality health care coverage.
Senior administration officials argue that Democrats will be able to sell a positive story to the public over the insurance reforms enacted in the landmark law — and that the hiccups now being experienced will be largely forgotten by next year. At a private meeting last week between Senate Democrats and senior administration officials, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough reiterated that message: The law is fundamentally sound and the administration is working overtime to fix the problems, attendees said.