January 20, 2012 11:00AM 

# How Sebelius Plans to Save Obamacare: Creating Dependence 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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By now, probably everyone has heard these old [Obamacare](https://www.cato.org/bad-medicine/) saws:

> **March 9, 2010 —** “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” ([House Speaker Nancy Pelosi](http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/pelosi-health-care-039we-have-pass-bill-so-you-can-find-out-what-it039))
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> **March 28, 2010 —** “As more and more people get to understand what’s in this bill, people are going to like it.” ([Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell](http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/gov-ed-rendell-more-people-learn-abou))
> 
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> **August 4, 2010 —** “It’s very obvious that people have a lack of understanding of our health care reform bill… The more people learn about this bill, the more they like it… The trend is turning all over America today… Once you explain what’s in the bill, the American people of course like it.” ([Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/04/reid-voters-like-health-law-if-they-understand-it/))

Here’s how those predictions have borne out:

![Media Name: 20120120-Pollsterdotcom-ObamaCare1.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/wp-content/uploads/20120120-Pollsterdotcom-ObamaCare1.jpg?itok=ONXbBbmC) 

Thus supporters have now gone from claiming that *of course* the public will love [Obamacare](https://www.cato.org/bad-medicine/) to declaring, *We need to make people dependent on government for their health care* pronto*, or Obamacare is sunk*:

> **January 19, 2012 —** “The more we educate people about the law, the more they’ll be able to take advantage of the benefits. The more they take advantage of the benefits, the harder it will be for opponents to take those benefits away. Once you have something and you like it and you’re using it, you will fight with your own member of Congress to keep it.” ([HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius](http://news.bna.com/drln/DRLNWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=24355116&vname=dernotallissues&fn=24355116&jd=a0d0k8k1d8&split=0))

Obamacare will not benefit people by lowering the cost of medical care, as [even Sebelius must know by now](https://www.cato.org/oops-maybe-obamacares-cost-controls-wont-work-after-all/). The only way Obamacare will “benefit” anybody is by making him or her the recipient of an explicit or implicit government transfer. That is, Obamacare is going to rob Peter to subsidize Paul. Obamacare’s survival depends on making Paul dependent on that government transfer. I’m just surprised Sebelius is being so up front about it.

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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