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Ralph's E-NEWSLETTER
Efforts to Defund "Obamacare"
- An Overview of the Law
- Why "Obamacare" Should be Defunded and Repealed
- Action Taken to Defund and Repeal "Obamacare"
- 113th Congress - Committee Hearings to provide "Obamacare" oversight and accountability
- My Commitment to You
- Share Your Story
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” was forced through the Democrat-controlled House and Senate without a single Republican vote, and was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010.
On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the majority of provisions in the President's health care law, ruling that the individual mandate is lawful and will stand as a tax. This ruling directly contradicted the President’s representation of the law and his assurance that the law would not be a tax.
WHY “OBAMACARE” SHOULD BE DEFUNDED AND REPEALED
1. The law was, and remains, widely unpopular across the nation.
According to a recent Rasmussen poll released November 12, 2013, 55% of Americans believe “Obamacare” is bad for the country and support the law's repeal.
2. The law raises health care costs.
Over 30 studies predict premiums will become more unaffordable once full implementation of "Obamacare" kicks in next year. This doesn’t just impact people with higher incomes – individuals earning as little as $25,000 will pay more for insurance.
In 2016, the individual penalty is expected to cost $2,085 or 2.85% of the household’s income (whichever is greater). A poll conducted by The Hill showed only 12% of Americans support the individual mandate.
3. Many Americans will not be able to keep their health care plans – even if they want to.
A vast majority of those who currently have health insurance receive coverage through their employment. However, due to regulations under “Obamacare,” businesses will be required to provide insurance plans that are often times more expensive. In addition, any business that employs 50 or more full-time employees (30+ hours a week) will be required to provide health insurance plans or pay a fine of $2,000 per full-time employee.
In response, small business owners are faced with tough decisions during tough economic times. Many small business owners are choosing to drop health care coverage and pay the fine or enter the exchanges. Others are choosing to reduce either full-time employees or employees’ hours to avoid the high cost of providing health insurance or paying the fine. Some small business owners cannot afford to pay the fine or provide insurance, and they are trying to figure out a way to not go out of business and preserve their employees’ jobs.
This means many of the currently insured are in danger of losing their current health care plan and will either be 1) forced into “Obamacare” exchanges, or 2) forced to pay an individual fine for electing to go without insurance.
4. The law hurts health care quality.
With the cost of health insurance policies rising due to “Obamacare,” keeping your plan or choosing an equivalent plan for a competitive price is unlikely. Many Americans will then be faced with the difficult decision to either pay more for the same (or similar) health care plan, or continue paying the same price for poorer quality health care.
The law also cuts $500 billion from Medicare and moves 16-20 million more people into Medicaid. Both these vital programs are already in danger of bankruptcy and are in need of reform if they are to be sustainable for future generations. “Obamacare” further weakens these programs and hurts health care quality for our senior citizens.
5. The law hurts jobs by making it harder for job creators to hire workers.
On March 6, the Federal Reserve reported, “Employers in several Districts cited the unknown effects of the Affordable Care Act as reasons for planned layoffs and reluctance to hire more staff.” Many small businesses are reducing staff to under 50 employees, as well as reducing workers’ hours so they can be considered ‘part-time,’ in order to be exempt from providing health care. The Washington Examiner published an article on July 16, 2013 citing 74% of small business owners’ intentions to cut hours and hire fewer workers in response to the employer mandate.
ACTION TAKEN TO DEFUND AND REPEAL “OBAMACARE”
I voted against “Obamacare” when it passed the Energy and Commerce Committee, I voted against its passage in the House, and I have since voted over 40 times to repeal the law both in part and in whole.
In the 113th Congress alone, I support the following legislation:
- H.R. 1005, Defund Obamacare Act
- H.R. 607, To delay until 2016 provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act scheduled to take effect in 2014 or 2015 and to delay the application of sequestration until 2014.
- H.R. 582, Healthcare Tax Relief and Mandate Repeal Act
- H.R. 45, To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health-care related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
- H.R. 2667, Authority Mandate Delay Act
- H.R. 2668, Fairness for American Families Act
- H.R. 2009, Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013
On August 21, I signed onto Rep. Meadows letter urging Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor to defund the implementation and enforcement of “Obamacare” in any appropriations bill or Continuing Resolution (CR) brought to the House Floor. To view the letter, CLICK HERE.
On October 16, I stayed true to my commitment to my constituents and the American people and voted against the Senate’s budget deal because it did not defund “Obamacare.”
** On December 11, I joined other Republican Members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and sent a letter to President Obama addressing personal and financial security problems with the "ObamaCare" website. In the letter, we ask the President to outline specific steps his Administration has or plans to take to improve security. To view the letter, CLICK HERE.
113TH CONGRESS - COMMITTEE HEARINGS TO PROVIDE "OBAMACARE" OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
** Rep. Hall serves as a senior member on the Energy and Commerce Committee and as Chairman Emeritus on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Energy and Commerce Committee:
- PPACA Pulse Check, August 1
- PPACA Implementation Failures: Didn’t Know or Didn’t Disclose?, October 24
- PPACA Implementation Failures: Answers from HHS, October 30
- PPACA Implementation Failures: What’s Next?, December 11
Science, Space, and Technology Committee:
Education and the Workforce Committee:
- "Health Care Challenges Facing North Carolina's Workers and Job Creators", April 30
- "The Employer Mandate: Examining the Delay and Its Effect on Workplaces", July 23
- "Health Care Challenges Facing Kentucky’s Workers and Job Creators", August 27
- "The Effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Schools, Colleges and Universities", November 14
- "Redefining Companion Care: Jeopardizing Access to Affordable Care for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities”, November 20
Homeland Security:
- Subcommittee Hearing: The Threat to Americans’ Personal Information: A Look into the Security and Reliability of the Health Exchange Data Hub, September 11
- Hearing: Cyber Side-Effects: How Secure is the Personal Information Entered into the Flawed Healthcare.gov?, November 13
Committee on the Judiciary:
Oversight and Government Reform Committee:
- Examining the Concerns About ObamaCare Outreach Campaign, May 21
- Evaluating Privacy, Security, and Fraud Concerns with ObamaCare’s Information Sharing Apparatus, July 17
- Oversight of IRS’s Legal Basis for Expanding ObamaCare’s Taxes and Subsidies, July 31
- Federal Implementation of Obamacare: Concerns of State Governments, September 18
- Examining the IRS’s Role in Implementing and Enforcing ObamaCare, October 9
- ObamaCare Implementation: The Rollout of HealthCare.gov, November 13
- Field Hearing: ObamaCare Implementation: Sticker Shock of Increased Premiums for Healthcare Coverage, November 22
- Field Hearing: Obamacare Implementation: High Costs, Few Choices for Rural America, November 25
- The Roll Out of HealthCare.gov: The Limitations of Big Government, December 4
- Field Hearing: ObamaCare Implementation, The Broken Promise: If You Like Your Current Plan You Can Keep It, December 6
- ObamaCare’s Impact on Premiums and Provider Networks, December 12
Committee on Small Business:
- The Health Care Law: Implementation and Small Businesses, April 17
- The Health Care Law: The Effect of the Business Aggregation Rules on Small Employers, December 4
- The Small Business Health Options Program: Is It Working for Small Businesses?, December 11
House Committee on Veterans Affairs:
Ways and Means Committee:
- Delay of the Employer Mandate, July 10
- Delay of the Employer Mandate Penalties and Reporting Requirements, July 17
- Status of the Affordable Care Act Implementation, August 1
- Status of the Affordable Care Act Implementation, October 29
- Challenges of the Affordable Care Act, December 4
The fight to defund and repeal “Obamacare” is not over. This bad health care law is harmful to Americans’ health and economic prosperity, and I will continue to do everything I can to repeal it and replace it with responsible health care reforms that improve individuals’ health, economic, and job security.
If you have a personal story you would like to share with me about how “Obamacare” is affecting you or your business, please email me at TX04.healthcare@mail.house.gov.