ACA Ruling Got You Down? There’s an APP for that.

By now, we’ve all been inundated with glowing and scathing op-eds in reaction to the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act; some even vilifying Justice Roberts for his position. Moreover, the observation that America is experiencing civil war-time polarization is astonishingly accurate in this regard; as expected, the overall sentiment to the decision is seemingly divided sharply along party lines. And, the divisiveness, without regard for the human condition, can only be chalked up to the Belief Perseverance Phenomenon.

Belief perseverance is the tendency to cling to one’s initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or disconfirms the basis of that belief. This simply put, a person will not change his/her mind even when they are given information that supports or disproves the basis of their position; even when the basis of a specific belief is totally discredited [emphasis added] (Anderson, 2007). It is certainly a phenomenon that people tend to hold on to their beliefs even when it appears that they shouldn’t.

Belief perseverance can create chaotic messages, especially in the political realm. It can also lead to cognitive dissonance, which is the confusion that results from holding two conflicting beliefs. For example, Democrats, Conservatives, and Libertarians may admit they believe in personal responsibility. However, some admittedly oppose a law that imposes personal responsibility (such as the individual mandate), hence the repeal campaign. When there is a discrepancy between beliefs and behaviors, something must change in order to eliminate or reduce the dissonance.

Under the current system, hospitals are required to treat patients who show up at the emergency entrance with a heart attack – even if their condition is partly their fault…The hospitals have to pass the costs on, and the rest of us end up footing the bill. The universal mandate is designed to fix that, by making everyone pay for the health care they get …Establishing personal responsibility, not socialized medicine, is the reason why conservative think tanks proposed the idea of the universal mandate in the first place, and why Mitt Romney enacted it in Massachusettts. But most people seem still unaware of this. When people do not understand their economic interests the voting patterns do not line up correspondingly (Frankel, 2012).

Changes must occur, to eliminate the confusion, psychological torment, and discomfort associated with discord (dissonance). Most people don’t know what Obama’s bill does. Many think that it reduces personal responsibility for health care. But the truth is the opposite.

VIDEO: Romney VERY PLEASED WITH MANDATE. http://youtu.be/Lmihmlb1LBY

It is the author’s hope that the masses will seek the truth before concluding that the ACA is a good or bad thing. The idea that many of the provisions did not receive bi-partisan support is astounding.

Are you suffering from misinformation? There’s an APP for that.

Cross posted on Define Don’t Defend and All things Democrat

References:

Read the full text of SCOTUS’ decision here.

Read the full text of the Affordable Care Act Law here.

Key provisions that everyone should appreciate, such as the Patient’s Bill of Rights

Ref: Anderson, C.A. (2007). Belief perseverance (pp. 109-110). In R. F. Baumeister & K. D.

Vohs (Eds.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Encyclopedia of Social Psychology.

Media Matters: http://mediamatters.org/mobile/research/201206280013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugZxfGsYAkY&feature=youtu.be

Mitt Romney APPROVES the Mandate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmihmlb1LBY&feature=youtu.be

Jeff Frankel: http://content.ksg.harvard.edu/blog/jeff_frankels_weblog/2012/06/28/look-who-opposes-obamacare-by-fat-margins/

#p2 #connect the left #ctl #TXDNC2012 #DNC2012 #ACA #TCOT