October 05,2016

Press Contact:

Aaron Fobes, Julia Lawless (202)224-4515

Spiraling Out of Control, Hurting the Middle Class

As Obamacare’s Failed Policies Harm American Families, Democrats Push for More Government Intervention
 
From the beginning, the track record for the President Obama’s health law has been anything but stellar.
 
Today, it’s not getting any better, and as The New York Times points out, “You may have noticed that Obamacare’s health insurance markets are in trouble.” (Sept 23, 2016).
 
Yes, we noticed.
 
As Obamacare nears its fourth enrollment season, patients on Obamacare exchanges will have fewer choices at higher costs.   And according to Bloomberg, this “Shaky Obamacare market” is adding “to ‘Death Spiral’ fears.” (September 23, 2016).
 
You can say that again.
 
Patients and families are quickly running out of affordable options as insurance providers are forced to exit the unworkable marketplaces.
 
Even Obamacare’s alternative to a government-run plan, the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) have fallen flat.  Today, only six of the 23 original CO-OPs remain and tens of thousands of families had their plans cancelled as a result.
 
It’s clear Obamacare is not working.
 
Yet, despite the failures of Obamacare’s Washington-mandated policies that have wreaked havoc on patients, taxpayers and the health care system as a whole, Democrats continue to advocate for more government intervention. Number one on their list? A government-run plan or “public option.”  
 
What we need less of is more of the same.
 
The government-run approach to healthcare has been tried with Obamacare’s CO-OPs and it failed. Miserably.  Such a plan would only perpetuate more of Obamacare’s failed policies that have stifled competition and hiked prices for American families.
 
If the botched CO-OPs experiment is any indication, a government-run plan would be an unmitigated disaster for middle class families, taxpayers and patients.”  (USA Today OpEd: Discredited 'public option' will fail: Sen. Hatch and Rep. Upton, September 29, 2016).
 
What we need right now are bold solutions.
 
Patient-focused reforms that reduce healthcare costs, promote choice, and increase access to affordable, high-quality care, are what American families need.   
 

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