It Begins

Megan McArdle writes that health insurance companies are increasing premiums in response to Obamacare.  Republicans (and right-leaning institutions generally) cannot talk too much about this issue.  They should be talking about it now and in the years (and premium increases) to come.  They have to capture the narrative that Obamacare is leading to higher health insurance costs.  If they don't, the narrative will be "Mean insurance companies are picking on people which why we need price controls and a government-run program that will produce a single-payer system."  If the pro-government run health care narrative takes hold, conservatives will find themselves in the absurd position of defending the Obamacare-created status quo as the only politically viable alternative to a fully government-run system.  Republicans should be talking about premium increases and linking them to Obamacare at least as often as they talk about taxes.  It also wouldn't hurt for some right-leaning 527 to buy one or two minute ads on programs with audiences that don't consume much right-leaning media.  One set of ads could explain what is wrong with Obamacare and a second set of ads could describe the potential benefits of market-driven health care reforms.  It would be expensive, but it would also be a down payment for shaping the health care debate in a reformist direction.