Quote from BSAM:
It doesn't matter. The "rules" can always be "adjusted".
The rules can always be "adjusted" significantly in 2012, when we have a GOP pres, GOP House and GOP Senate.
They likely won't have have a super majority in the Senate, but there will easily be a handful of Dems that are willing to vote for "improvements" to the bill after the 2010 and 2012 Democratic bloodbaths.
This could end up being a fairly easy law to make changes to, since the benefits don't kick in til 2014 and many of the tax increases start before then. Also, unemployment will be hovering close to 10% in November and above 8.5-9% in 2012. Add in all of the underemployed or "given up looking" and people won't feel too great about Obama and "the New Normal" in 2012.
How big of a voting block of people with pre-existing conditions is there? It's actually quite small.