The ObamaCare Fire Sale: All Taxpayer Dollars Must Go!

June 27, 2012

Democrats Have Nearly Tripled Their Spending on Implementing ObamaCare Since Supreme Court Oral Arguments

Democrats have nearly tripled their spending on implementing ObamaCare since the case challenging the constitutionality of the law was argued before the Supreme Court.
This apparent ObamaCare fire sale is the latest reminder of the staggering cost of the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare and the lengths the Democrats will go to keep ObamaCare in place.
Indeed, many Democrats are already vowing to bring ObamaCare back if the Supreme Court strikes it down.

Democrats have nearly tripled their spending on implementing ObamaCare since the case challenging the constitutionality of the law was argued before the Supreme Court:

“HHS PUSHES OUT CASH AHEAD OF RULING”: (J. Lester Feder, Kathryn Smith and Kyle Cheney, “HHS Pushes Out Cash Ahead of Ruling,” Politico, 6/23/2012)

$2.7 BILLION SPENT SINCE COURT ARGUMENTS ENDED VS. $1 BILLION IN THE THREE MONTHS PRIOR: “But the administration has forged ahead, spending at least $2.7 billion since oral arguments in the case ended on March 28. That’s more than double the amount that was handed out in the three-month period leading up to the arguments, according to a POLITICO review of funding announcements from the Department of Health and Human Services. … By contrast, the administration gave out about $1 billion in grants, loans and other awards during the three months before the Supreme Court arguments.” (J. Lester Feder, Kathryn Smith and Kyle Cheney, “HHS Pushes Out Cash Ahead of Ruling,” Politico, 6/23/2012)

“MONEY THAT IS SPENT MOST LIKELY WON’T HAVE TO BE REPAID”: “And the stakes have increased as the date of a Supreme Court ruling approaches, because money that is spent most likely won’t have to be repaid.” (J. Lester Feder, Kathryn Smith and Kyle Cheney, “HHS Pushes Out Cash Ahead of Ruling,” Politico, 6/23/2012)

“BUT REMAINING FUNDS WILL DRY UP IF THE COURT STRIKES DOWN THE LAW”: (J. Lester Feder, Kathryn Smith and Kyle Cheney, “HHS Pushes Out Cash Ahead of Ruling,” Politico, 6/23/2012)

This apparent ObamaCare fire sale is the latest reminder of the staggering cost of the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare and the lengths the Democrats will go to keep ObamaCare in place:

STAGGERING COSTS, MEDICARE CUTS AND TAX HIKES ARE OBAMACARE’S PRICE TAG:

MEDICARE TRUSTEE: OBAMACARE TO ADD AT LEAST $340 BILLION TO THE DEFICIT: (Lori Montgomery, “Health-care Law Will Add $340 Billion to Deficit, New Study Finds,” The Washington Post, 4/9/2012)

OBAMACARE TO COST $1.76 TRILLION OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS: (Phillip Klein, “CBO: ObamaCare to Cost $1.76 Trillion Over 10 Years,” The Washington Examiner, 3/13/2012)

DEMS CUT $500 BILLION FROM MEDICARE TO PAY FOR OBAMACARE: “It would cut an additional $60 billion from Medicare, bringing total cuts to the program to more than $500 billion over the next 10 years.” (Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, “With Senate ‘Fixes’ Bill, GOP Sees Last Chance to Change Health-Care Reform,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2012)

OBAMACARE INCREASES TAXES BY $525 BILLION:(“CBO’s Analysis of the Major Health Care Legislation Enacted in March 2010,” Congressional Budget Office, 3/30/2011)

DEMS HAVE REPEATEDLY PROVED THEY WON’T REPEAL OR EVEN TRY TO FIX OBAMACARE:

98% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE: (Roll Call 14, Clerk of the U.S. House, 1/19/2011)

95% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS: (Roll Call 264, Clerk of the U.S. House, 4/13/2011)

95% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING FUNDS FOR OBAMACARE STATE EXCHANGES: (Roll Call 285, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/3/2011)

97% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING FUNDS FOR OBAMACARE HEALTH CENTERS: (Roll Call 290, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/4/2011)

83% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST REPEALING FISCALLY DISASTROUS “CLASS” PROGRAM: (Roll Call 18, Clerk of the U.S. House, 2/1/2012)

90% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING IPAB: (Roll Call 126, Clerk of the U.S. House, 3/22/2012)

87% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS TO PREVENT STUDENT INTEREST RATE HIKES: (Roll Call 195, Clerk of the U.S. House, 4/27/2012)

77% OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING THE HEART ATTACK TAX: (Roll Call 361, Clerk of the U.S. House, 6/7/2012)

Indeed, many Democrats are already vowing to bring ObamaCare back if the Supreme Court strikes it down:

OBAMA ON OBAMACARE: “IN MY SECOND TERM, I GUESS I’LL PASS IT AGAIN”: “Though the White House continues to maintain official silence on contingency plans, Mr. Obama hinted at his thinking a few weeks ago. ‘In my first term, we passed health care reform,’ he began a joke at the White House Correspondents Dinner in April. ‘In my second term, I guess I’ll pass it again.’” (Jodi Kantor, “Wearing Brave Face, Obama Braces for Healthcare Ruling,” The New York Times, 6/23/2012)

OBAMA: “MAY HAVE TO REVISIT” OBAMACARE IN SECOND TERM:“President Barack Obama is confiding to Democratic donors that he may have to revisit the health-care issue in a second term, a position at odds with his publicly expressed confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the Affordable Care Act, according to three Democratic activists.”(Hans Nichols, “Obama Tells Donors Health-Care Fight May Loom After Court Rules,”Bloomberg, 5/31/2012)

REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ): “THE EFFORT [TO BRING BACK OBAMACARE] WILL BE INTENSE”: “ ‘I think the effort will be intense to come back, but also the opposition will be emboldened, knowing that their refuge is the courts,’ Grijalva said.” (Sam Baker, “Court’s Decision on Healthcare Law Could Put Progressives Back at ‘Square One,’” The Hill, 6/21/2012)

HOUSE DEMOCRATS DRAFTING A BACKUP PLAN THAT GIVES GOVERNMENT AN EVEN BIGGER ROLE IN HEALTHCARE: “Universal coverage, Medicare for all, single payer — call it what you will. It’s clear that conservative forces are determined to prevent such a system from ever being introduced at the national level. So it’s up to the states. … But legislation quietly being drafted by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) would change that. It would create a mechanism for states to request federal funds after establishing their own health insurance programs.” (David Lazarus, “Legislation May Enable States to Offer Universal Healthcare,” Los Angeles Times, 5/25/2012)

DEMOCRATS CLAIM THEIR PLAN WILL BUILD ON OBAMACARE: “Kinsey Kiriakos, a spokesman for McDermott, said by email that the bill is intended to advance the goals of President Obama’s healthcare reform law, which would extend coverage to about 30 million of the 50 million people nationwide without insurance.” (David Lazarus, “Legislation May Enable States to Offer Universal Healthcare,” Los Angeles Times, 5/25/2012)