Obamacare Advocates Insist They're Waiting for the Right Moment To Make Their Case

Until we've forgotten about it?

I've put this question to top administration officials and advocates, and the answer tends to be this: If we start selling Obamacare now, we're going to be raving about a product that doesn't yet exist. That would, in turn, undermine the sales pitch they want to make in October, when enrollment in the new health plans opens.

"We've done a lot of research on that," Medicare administrator Marilyn Tavenner said when I asked about the outreach strategy. "Our research has shown if you go too early, you don't have anything to offer, and people lose interest. It will be intense, but the timing is important."