No Surprise, Americans Finding Out ObamaCare Isn't What They Were Told
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Republican National Committee:
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Before ObamaCare Passed, Rep. Nancy Pelosi Said: "We Have To Pass The Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It." (Rep. Pelosi, Remarks To The National Association of Counties 2010 Legislative Conference, 3/9/10)
The Families -Won't-Be-Able-To-Afford-Coverage "Glitch"
A New "Glitch" In ObamaCare Would Leave Families Without Access To Health Insurance. "A major provision of the health care reform law designed to prevent businesses from dropping coverage for their workers could inadvertently leave families without access to subsidized health insurance. The problem is a huge headache for the Obama administration and congressional Democrats, because it could leave families unable to buy affordable health insurance when the health care law requires that everyone be insured starting in 2014." (Julian Pecquet, "Health Care Law Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs," The Hill's "Health Watch," 7/21/11)
"Glitch" Doesn't Consider Family Coverage When Setting Affordability Thresholds. "At issue is a so-called 'firewall' in the law that denies subsidies to workers whose employers offer quality, affordable coverage. The firewall applies to plans with premiums that cost less than 9.5 percent of a worker's income, for example, the worker and his or her family should be eligible for subsidies." (Julian Pecquet, "Health Care Law Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs," The Hill's "Health Watch," 7/21/11)
"Glitch" Means That Costs To Employees Will Be "Too High To Afford For Many Working Families." "Initially, advocates thought that the threshold also applied to family coverage. If premium costs paid to cover a worker's family cost 20 percent of a worker's income, for example, the worker and his or her family should be eligible for subsidies. But in calculating the bill's cost last year, Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) took the law to mean that employers and their families aren't eligible for subsidies as long as the individual plan is affordable – regardless of the price of the family plan. This means the costs to an employee of covering his or her family could be too high to afford for many working families." (Julian Pecquet, "Health Care Law Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs," The Hill's "Health Watch," 7/21/11)
Study Finds That Fixing The "Glitch" Could Cost Taxpayers $50 Billion, Leaving The "Glitch" As Is Will Leave Millions Of Families Without Affordable Health Care Coverage. "One new study, by the Employment Policies Institute, estimates that changing the policy could cost taxpayers $50 billion a year. But if the administration leaves the policy as is 'millions of families will be stuck in a no-man's-land without affordable coverage through their employer or exchange.'" (Julian Pecquet, "Health Care Law Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs," The Hill's "Health Watch," 7/21/11)
"Glitch" Causing Heartburn For Health Advocates. "The glitch is causing heartburn for advocates who worry that it could leave thousands of children and spouses uninsured and subject to penalties for not having insurance." (Julian Pecquet, "Health Care Law Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs," The Hill's "Health Watch," 7/21/11)
The $450 Billion "Glitch"
"Discovered Only After The Complex Bill Was Signed" ObamaCare Will Allow Millions Of Middle Class People To Receive Free Medicaid. " President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Medicaid For The Middle Class?" The Associated Press, 6/21/11)
Up To Three Million Middle-Class Americans Could Qualify For Medicaid Entitlement Intended Only For Those Below The Poverty Line. "Up to 3 million people could qualify for Medicaid in 2014 as a result of the anomaly. That's because, in a major change from today, most of their Social Security benefits would no longer be counted as income for determining eligibility." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Medicaid For The Middle Class?" The Associated Press, 6/21/11)
The "Glitch" Could Cost Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars. "If we do a back-of-the-envelope calculation, in which the average annual Medicaid expenditure per early retiree is $15,000 per year, the ten-year cost of this glitch could be as high as $450 billion." (Avik Roy, "The 450 Billion Glitch: 3 Million Extra Middle-Class Americans Eligible For Medicaid Benefits," Forbes, 6/21/11)
Even Medicare's Chief Actuary Says The Policy "Just Doesn't Make Sense." "Medicare chief actuary Richard Foster says the situation keeps him up at night. 'I don't generally comment on the pros or cons of policy, but that just doesn't make sense,' Foster said during a question-and-answer session at a recent professional society meeting." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Medicaid For The Middle Class?" The Associated Press, 6/21/11)
Congress Must Intervene To Fix ObamaCare's $450 Billion "Glitch." "Congressional budget referees say fixing a glitch in President Barack Obama's health care law would save taxpayers $13 billion without adding to the number of uninsured people. Lawmakers introduced legislation Monday to fix the problem, a glitch that would have allowed middle-class early retirees to get health insurance at virtually no cost by qualifying for Medicaid coverage." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Health Care Reform Glitch Fix Would Save $13 Billion," The Associated Press, 7/18/11)
The Punishing Work "Glitch"
Another "Glitch" Was Found In ObamaCare In Which "Older Adults Of The Same Age And Income With Similar Medical Histories Could Pay Widely Different Amounts For Private Health Insurance Due To A Quirk Of The Complex Legislation." "The glitch mainly affects older adults who are too young for a Medicare card but have reached 62, when people can qualify for early retirement from Social Security. Sixty-two is the most common age at which Americans start taking Social Security, although their monthly benefit is reduced." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Fuzzy Math In Health Law Formula," The Associated Press, 6/30/11)
The "Glitch" Could Allow People Who Don't Work To Get A Better Deal Than Their Hard-Working Neighbors. "'There is an equity issue here,' said Robert Laszewski, a former health insurance executive turned policy consultant. 'If you get a job for 40 hours a week, you're going to pay more for your health insurance than if you don't get a job.'" (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Fuzzy Math In Health Law Formula," The Associated Press, 6/30/11)
"Those Who Take Early Retirement Would Get A Significant Break On Health Insurance Premiums." "As the health care law is now written, those who take early retirement would get a significant break on health insurance premiums. That's because part or all of their Social Security benefits would not count as income in figuring out whether they can get federal subsidies to help pay for coverage until they become eligible for Medicare at 65." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Fuzzy Math In Health Law Formula," The Associated Press, 6/30/11)
This Glitch "Could Create A Perception That Some People Are Getting A Worse Deal Compared With Their Less Industrious Peers." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Fuzzy Math In Health Law Formula," The Associated Press, 6/30/11)
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SOURCE Republican National Committee