ObamaCare’s Record of Failure Pits Democrats Against Working Families

March 16, 2012

New CBO Estimate Says Up to 20 Million Americans May Lose Employer-Sponsored Coverage Under ObamaCare, Yet Democrats Are Still Defending Their Government Healthcare Takeover

Newly released CBO estimates predict that up to 20 million Americans could lose their employer-provided insurance under ObamaCare, just the latest evidence that the Dems’ government healthcare takeover will break President Obama’s promise that working families will be able to keep the care they have if they like it.
These troubling numbers may be just the beginning of Democrats’ healthcare disaster. After the Democrats’ wildly optimistic initial ObamaCare projections, the real costs of Democrats’ government healthcare takeover are only now becoming clear as parts of the healthcare law self-destruct and costs skyrocket.
The argument over ObamaCare is now between the Democrats and America’s working families and job creators. Study after study shows that ObamaCare is increasing healthcare costs and causing families to lose the coverage they have, yet Democrats continue to defend their healthcare disaster.

Newly released CBO estimates predict that up to 20 million Americans could lose their employer-provided insurance under ObamaCare, just the latest evidence that the Dems’ government healthcare takeover will break President Obama’s promise that working families will be able to keep the care they have if they like it:

CBO: “HEALTH LAW COULD CAUSE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS TO LOSE THEIR EMPLOYER COVERAGE”: (Julian Pecquet, “CBO: Health Law Could Cause Millions of Americans to Lose their Employer Coverage,” The Hill, 3/15/2010)

UP TO 20 MILLION AMERICANS COULD LOSE EMPLOYER-PROVIDED COVERAGE DUE TO OBAMACARE: “As many as 20 million Americans could lose their employer-provided coverage because of President Obama’s healthcare reform law, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a new report Thursday.” (Julian Pecquet, “CBO: Health Law Could Cause Millions of Americans to Lose their Employer Coverage,” The Hill, 3/15/2010)

YET ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE: OBAMA IN 2009: “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.” (Mary Lu Carnevale, “Obama: ‘If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor’,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/15/2009)

These troubling numbers may be just the beginning of Democrats’ healthcare disaster. After the Democrats’ wildly optimistic initial ObamaCare projections, the real costs of Democrats’ government healthcare takeover are only now becoming clear as parts of the healthcare law self-destruct and costs skyrocket:

OBAMACARE EXCEEDS INITIAL COST ESTIMATE BY 87%, NOW EXPECTED TO COST $1.76 BILLION OVER 10 YEARS: “President Obama’s national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law.” (Phillip Klein, “CBO: ObamaCare to Cost $1.76 Trillion Over 10 Years,” The Washington Examiner, 3/13/2012)

WHILE KEY PARTS OF DEMOCRATS’ HEALTHCARE LAW SELF-DESTRUCT:

“CBO REPORT: MEDICARE PILOT PROGRAMS DON’T CONTROL HEALTHCARE COSTS”: (Megan McArdle, “CBO Report: Medicare Pilot Programs Don’t Control Healthcare Costs,” The Atlantic, 1/18/2012)

GOP BILL TO REPEAL IPAB HAS 20 DEMOCRAT CO-SPONSORS, AND GROWING: (“Cosponsors,” H.R. 452, Clerk of the U.S. House, Accessed 3/7/2012)

28 DEMOCRATS JOINED GOP IN VOTING TO REPEAL CLASS PROGRAM DEEMED FISCALLY UNSUSTAINABLE: “By a vote of 267-159, lawmakers passed H.R. 1173, Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. Twenty-eight Democrats joined a unanimous Republican Conference in supporting the repeal.” (John Parkinson, “House Votes to Repeal CLASS Act,” ABC News, 2/1/2012)

76 HOUSE DEMOCRATS LAST YEAR JOINED ALL HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN VOTING TO REPEAL ONEROUS 1099 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: (Corey Boles, “House Votes to Repeal 1099 Provision,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/3/2011)

OBAMA’S HHS GRANTS OVER 1,200 WAIVERS FROM HEALTHCARE LAW:(Sam Baker, “HHS Finalizes 1,200 Waivers Under Healthcare Reform Law,” The Hill, 1/6/2012)

The argument over ObamaCare is now between the Democrats and America’s working families and job creators. Study after study shows that ObamaCare is increasing healthcare costs and causing families to lose the coverage they have, yet Democrats continue to defend their healthcare disaster:

BY A MARGIN OF 8 TO 1, EMPLOYERS EXPECT OBAMACARE TO INCREASE COSTS: “By a margin of 8 to 1, those who believe Health Care Reform will trigger a cost increase outnumber those who believe Health Care Reform will create savings. Yet the survey responses reﬂect that few employers have started to reframe employee expectations relative to Health Care Reform.”(“The Health Care Reform Survey: 2011-2012,” Willis, March 2012)

EMPLOYERS EXPECT THEY AND THEIR COMPETITORS WILL “PASS ANY INCREASED COSTS ON TO EMPLOYEES”: “Surveyed employers have a sense of what similar employers will do in response to Health Care Reform. Over half of the respondents believe that others will pass more of the cost for dependent coverage on to their employees. One-third of respondents think that other, similar employers will reduce coverage to the lowest-cost package that will avoid the “pay-or-play” penalty, and a majority of employers also think that wellness programs will be expanded in scope. Finally, nearly two-thirds of the employers expect that employee contributions will be increased.” (“The Health Care Reform Survey: 2011-2012,” Willis, March 2012)

MANY EMPLOYERS LIKELY TO END THEIR COVERAGE PLANS, DUMP EMPLOYEES INTO STATE EXCHANGES: “Many employers seem to be struggling with the costs associated with various components of Health Care Reform. The responses to the Willis survey (echoed by responses to other surveys) suggest that employers may, despite their desire to maintain group medical beneﬁts for their employees, shift their focus to state-based exchanges. For some, the only question is when that will happen. Respondents to this survey appear to take incremental steps in compliance rather than big steps to reach a particular strategic goal. This approach aligns most closely with employers who will be more likely to rely upon state-based exchanges in the future.” (“The Health Care Reform Survey: 2011-2012,” Willis, March 2012)

MAJOR SURVEY OF LARGE EMPLOYERS: “HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS MORE, COVERS LESS” IN WORLD OF OBAMACARE: (Jeffrey Young, “Health Insurance Costs More, Covers Less, Surveys Says,” The Huffington Post, 3/8/2012)

“WORKERS ARE PICKING UP A BIGGER SHARE OF HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS AND FACE MORE RESTRICTIONS ON COVERAGE”: “Workers are picking up a bigger share of health insurance costs and face more restrictions on coverage this year, a survey of large companies reveals. … As medical expenses rise and the pieces of President Barack Obama’s health reform law take effect, companies are tuning employee health insurance plans to save money. More significant changes could be coming.” (Jeffrey Young, “Health Insurance Costs More, Covers Less, Surveys Says,” The Huffington Post, 3/8/2012)

ONLY 23% OF EMPLOYERS VERY CONFIDENT THEY WILL STILL BE OFFERING EMPLOYEES INSURANCE IN 10 YEARS, DOWN FROM 73% IN 2007: “Less than one in four (23%) companies are very confident that they will continue to offer health care benefits 10 years from now, down from a peak of 73% in 2007.” (Press release, “Health Benefits Changes on the Horizon, Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health Study Finds,” Market Watch, 3/8/2012)

“HEALTHCARE COSTS CONTINUE TO GROW”: “Health care costs continue to grow — trend of 5.9% expected. Average total health care costs per employee are expected to reach $11,664 in 2012, up from $10,982 in 2011.”(“Performance in an Era of Uncertainty,” Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Healthcare, March 2012)

GALLUP: 48% OF SMALL BUSINESSES NOT HIRING BECAUSE OF AFRAID OF THE RISING COST OF HEALTHCARE: (Dennis Jacobe, “Health Costs, Gov’t Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring,” Gallup, 2/15/2012)

BUT DEMOCRATS ARE DOUBLING DOWN ON OBAMACARE:

DEMOCRATS “ACCEPTING—AND IN SOME CASES OPENLY EMBRACING” OBAMA: “But with the economy slowly crawling back to life, a shift in messaging at the White House and a Republican push on social issues, Democrats are accepting — and in some cases openly embracing — the inevitable yoking of their campaigns to Mr. Obama’s as election-year activities accelerate. On Capitol Hill, Democrats have begun to mention Mr. Obama more often and have gone out of their way to publicly back some of his proposals.” (Jennifer Steinhauer, “Democrats Warn to Obama as a Campaign Ally,”The New York Times, 3/8/2012)

AT HOUSE DEM RETREAT, FORMER PA. GOV ED RENDELL TOLD DEMS TO “STAND AND DEFEND WHAT YOU’VE DONE” BECAUSE “YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY”: “Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who participated in a separate panel on messaging today, said he encouraged Members to ‘stand and defend what you’ve done, because you can’t run away from them.’”(Jessica Brady, “At Retreat, Democrats Urged to Defend Past Record,” Roll Call, 1/26/2012)

HOYER CLAIMS “CITIZENS ARE COMING” TO “SEE THE BENEFITS” OF THEIR GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER: “But I think there’s very, very strong support in the Democratic Party, and I believe that citizens are coming to that more and more as they see the benefits of that accruing to seniors in terms of their prescription-drug bill being reduced.” (Jessica Brady, “Democrats Willing to Tinker with Health Care Law,” Roll Call, 3/7/2012)

OBAMA SPOKESMAN CLAIMS WHITE HOUSE SPENT “MORE THAN TWO YEARS NOW IN AN EFFORT TO EDUCATE” AMERICANS “ABOUT THE BENEFITS” OF OBAMACARE: “The administration has been involved formore than two years now in an effort to educate the American public about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.” (Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route Richmond, VAMarch 9, 2012)

REP. RON KIND (D-WI): “I WOULD BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT IPAB REQUIRES A LEAP OF FAITH, BUT I SUPPORTED IT, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE.” (Remarks From Rep. Ron Kind, House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health Hearing, 3/6/2012)

ONLY 3 DEMOCRATS JOINED EFFORT TO REPEAL OBAMACARE: Final Vote: 245-189. (Roll Call 14, Clerk of the U.S. House, 1/19/2011)