Reply #9: Of course this is *before* the insurance industry runs its campaign ads

[0rganism]

I've seen this happen time and time again. Given a perfectly reasonable idea represented on a ballot, whether by candidate or referendum, with ostensibly solid public support, and then the big players come along to outspend on the issue by 3-to-1 or more. By the time elections come along, the tables have turned, and half the people who were at one time fervent supporters of the concept wouldn't dare admit it in public.

All Big Insurance has to do is play on people's greed ("nice idea, but I don't want to pay for it") and fear of government regulation ("they'll pick my doctor for me!"), and public opinion swings around like a flag on a windy day.