Relief From Obamacare: The Time Is Now
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
January 13, 2017
This law means more choice, more competition, lower costs for millions of Americans. More choices and competition? The reality is insurers are rapidly exiting Obamacare marketplaces in states across the country — leaving Americans with fewer options, and in some cases, only one insurer:
And that’s not all. Small business owners are struggling as well. Some turned to Obamacare’s Small Business Health Options Program, but the vast majority declined to sign up after realizing the cost of health insurance coverage was too expensive. Yet in October, President Obama offered a praising look-back on the law’s legacy, saying: The [law] has done what it was designed to do: It gave us affordable health care. Affordable health care? The truth is Americans are paying more for less. And states across the country are reporting double-digit premium increases in the Obamacare marketplace this year:
But it’s not just the individual market that took a hit. Businesses and their employees were also burdened. On the fifth anniversary of the law’s passage, President Obama claimed the law was helping employers, saying: But the bottom line is this for the American people: [The law] is saving money for families and for businesses. Saving money for businesses? Under Obamacare, small business employers with as few as 50 full-time employees are subject to the law’s costly mandates and tax penalties. And in 2016, the cost of health insurance was cited as the number one problem small businesses face. For the first time in nearly seven years, Congress has the opportunity to undo the damage done by the president’s flawed law and implement the positive health care reforms Republicans have long supported — reforms that would expand coverage, lower health care costs, and promote a healthy workforce. The time for repeal is now. That is why Congress is taking the necessary steps to provide relief from the disastrous health care law and ensure a stable transition to the affordable, patient-centered health care the American people deserve. # # # |