Americans Look Forward to ObamaCare’s Day in Court

Support Remains High for Repealing Law that Cut $500 Billion from Medicare, Created an Unaccountable Bureaucracy and Burdened Americans with Mandates 

• As the Democrats’ government healthcare takeover heads to the Supreme Court, most Americans continue to support repeal of the disastrous and job-destroying healthcare law.
• It’s not hard to see why, with Democrats continuing to defend their unpopular individual mandate and bragging about their $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. And the board of unelected bureaucrats empowered under Democrats’ healthcare law to cut Medicare is struggling to retain support even among House Democrats.
• Meanwhile, the bad news about the healthcare law keeps piling up. A new study out this week suggests that the law may force employers to strategically drop coverage for high-risk employees, forcing them to instead obtain government insurance. How much more proof do Democrats need before they admit their healthcare law is a disaster?

BACKGROUND

As the Democrats’ government healthcare takeover heads to the Supreme Court, most Americans continue to support repeal of the disastrous and job-destroying healthcare law:

“POLL: VOTERS WANT COURT TO KILL OBAMA HEALTHCARE LAW”: “A new poll shows that most voters want the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama’s health care law, with opposition and support falling largely along party lines.” (David Jackson, “Poll: Voters Want Court to Kill Obama Health Care Law,” USA Today, 11/23/2011)

VOTERS OPPOSE HEALTHCARE LAW 48% TO 40%, INCLUDING PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENTS AND EVEN ONE-FIFTH OF DEMOCRATS: “Overall, voters oppose the law by 48-40%, according to the Quinnipiac University survey. Democrats support the Obama health care effort by 70-19%, while Republicans oppose it by 86-8%.

“The Quinnipiac survey found independent voters opposed to the law by 45-38%.”(David Jackson, “Poll: Voters Want Court to Kill Obama Health Care Law,” USA Today, 11/23/2011) 

It’s not hard to see why, with Democrats continuing to defend their unpopular individual mandate and bragging about their $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. And the board of unelected bureaucrats empowered under Democrats’ healthcare law to cut Medicare is struggling to retain support even among House Democrats:

DEMOCRATS STILL BRAGGING ABOUT $500 BILLION IN MEDICARE CUTS:

PELOSI ADMITS “WE TOOK A HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS OUT OF MEDICARE” WITH GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER: “You don’t have to have cuts in those initiatives in order to reduce cost there, and we have proven that we’re willing to make cuts in the cost to initiatives. We took a half a trillion dollars out of Medicare in the Affordable Care Act, the health care bill, already, and there’s certainly more opportunities for savings in that respect.” (Remarks from Nancy Pelosi,CNBC’s “Closing Bell”, 10/29/2011)

COURTS RULE AGAINST INDIVIDUAL MANDATE THAT OBAMA ONCE CRITICIZED:

POLITIFACT: OBAMA DOES A “FULL FLOP” ON INDIVIDUAL MANDATE: “A mandate means that in some fashion, everybody will be forced to buy health insurance. … But I believe the problem is not that folks are trying to avoid getting health care. The problem is that they can’t afford it. And that’s why my plan emphasizes lowering costs.” (Angie Drobnic Holan, “Obama Flip-Flops on Requiring People to Buy Healthcare,” Politifact, 7/20/2009)

FLASHBACK TO OBAMA IN 2008: “If a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house.  The reason they don’t buy a house is they don’t have the money. And so, our focus has been on reducing costs, making it available. I am confident if people have a chance to buy high-quality health care that is affordable, they will do so.” (Remarks from Sen. Barack Obama, CNN’s “American Morning”, 2/5/2008)

APPEALS COURT DECISION SLAMMED THE MANDATE AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL:“President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law suffered a setback on Friday when an appeals court ruled that it was unconstitutional to require all Americans to buy insurance or face a penalty.

“‘This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority: the ability to compel Americans to purchase an expensive health insurance product they have elected not to buy, and to make them repurchase that insurance product every month for their entire lives,’ the majority said in its 207-page opinion.” (Jeremy Pelofsky and James Vicini, “Appeals Court Rules Against Obama Healthcare Mandate,” Reuters, 8/12/2011)

DEMOCRATS’ MEDICARE IRS CREATED UNDER HEALTHCARE LAW FACES GROWING OPPOSITION FROM HOUSE DEMS INCLUDING RETIRING REP. BARNEY FRANK:

REP. BARNEY FRANK SIGNS ON TO BILL THAT WOULD REPEAL INDEPENDENT PAYMENT ADVISORY BOARD: (Matthew Boyle, “Lame-Duck Barney Frank Joins Effort to Repeal ObamaCare ‘Death Panels’,” The Daily Caller, 11/29/2011)

TWELVE DEMOCRATS HAVE SIGNED ON TO REPEAL IPAB—AND COUNTING:(Matthew Boyle, “Lame-Duck Barney Frank Joins Effort to Repeal ObamaCare ‘Death Panels’,” The Daily Caller, 11/29/2011)

REP. ALLYSON SCHWARTZ (D-PA) SAYS OBAMA’S MEDICARE BOARD WILL “CUT PAYMENTS” AND SHOULD BE REPEALED: “We all agree that Medicare costs must be contained and that the payment system is flawed and needs to be replaced. But simply cutting reimbursements is not the answer. IPAB brings unpredictability and uncertainty to providers and has the potential for stifling innovation and collaboration. … We have a choice: Reduce costs through improved delivery of care or simply leave it to this new board to cut payments.” (Rep. Allyson Schwartz, “Opposing View: Repeal Medicare Board,” USA Today, 5/23/2011) 

REP. PETE STARK (D-CA): IPAB IS A “MINDLESS-RATE CUTTING MACHINE THAT SETS THE PROGRAM UP FOR UNSUSTAINABLE CUTS”: “I oppose the inclusion the Independent Payment Advisory Commission, called IPAB.  Some of my colleagues support this Commission because it shields them from having to take tough votes when it comes to cutting Medicare provider payments. It’s my experience that Congress always does what is needed to protect and strengthen the Medicare program.  IPAB is a dangerous provision.   By statute, this Commission would be required to hold Medicare spending to an arbitrary and unrealistic growth rate.  It is a mindless-rate cutting machine that sets the program up for unsustainable cuts. That will endanger the health of America’s seniors and people with disabilities.  It is an unprecedented abrogation of  Congressional authority to an unelected, unaccountable body of so-called experts.  I intend to work tirelessly to mitigate the damage that will be caused by IPAB.” (“Statement of Congressman Pete Stark Supporting Health Care Reform,” Office of Rep. Pete Stark, 3/21/2011)

Meanwhile, the bad news about the healthcare law keeps piling up. A new study out this week suggests that the law may force employers to strategically drop coverage for high-risk employees, forcing them to instead obtain government insurance. How much more proof do Democrats need before they admit their healthcare law is a disaster?:

“STUDY: EMPLOYERS COULD DUMP SICKEST EMPLOYEES ON PUBLIC HEALTHCARE”: (Elizabeth Stawicki, “Study: Employers Could Dump Sickest Employees on Public Healthcare,” Minnesota Public Radio, 11/28/2011)

LOOPHOLE “COULD HAVE DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE EXCHANGES”: “A loophole in the federal health care overhaul would allow many employers to game the system by dumping their sicker employees onto public health insurance exchanges, according to two University of Minnesota law professors.

“They say the loophole could have dire consequences for the financial health of the exchanges, which are a key part of President Barack Obama’s health care law. The online marketplaces are intended to make it easier to comparison shop for health plans and also to expand access to coverage for the uninsured.” (Elizabeth Stawicki, “Study: Employers Could Dump Sickest Employees on Public Healthcare,” Minnesota Public Radio, 11/28/2011)