Code Red: Broken ObamaCare Promises

The Democrats’ Health Law Has Failed To Deliver On Promise After Promise

PROMISE #1: ‘If You Like Your Plan, You'll Be Able To Keep It’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that: if you like your plan, you'll be able to keep it.” (President Obama, Remarks At The White House, Washington, D.C., 7/21/09)

‘The Law Could Leave More Than Half Of Employers Without A Grandfathered Plan’THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “The law could leave more than half of employers without a grandfathered plan in 2013, the draft estimated. Its worst-case assumption is that 80% of small-employers will lose grandfathered rights by 2013. New plans would have to comply with all the bill's requirements; grandfathered plans could avoid elements such as limits on cost sharing.” (“Draft Health Rules Set Hurdles,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/12/10)

Obama Administration: “Under this assumption, the Departments’ mid-range estimate is that 66 percent of small employer plans and 45 percent of large employer plans will relinquish their grandfather status by the end of 2013. The low-end estimates are for 49 percent and 34 percent of small and large employer plans, respectively, to have relinquished grandfather status, and the high-end estimates are 80 percent and 64 percent, respectively.” (Federal Register, Vol.75, No.116, P.15-16, 6/17/10)

PROMISE #2: ‘I Will Protect Medicare’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “So don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut … that will not happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

$529 Billion Cut From Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Medicare Advantage, And Much More…SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “Some of our critics on the other side of the aisle have said, ‘you know, they're [Democrats] going to cut hundreds of billions of dollars out of Medicare.’ and the simple answer is, yes.” (Sen. Durbin, Floor Remarks, 3/4/10)

More Than $150 Billion In Cuts To Hospitals, Nursing Homes, And Hospice“Ensuring Medicare Sustainability… -156.6 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle E—Ensuring Medicare Sustainability; 3401 Revision of Certain Market Basket Updates and Incorporation of services Productivity Improvements into Market Basket Updates that do not Already Incorporate Such Improvements (effect of productivity adjustment for home health included in estimate for section 3131)… 2010-2019… -156.6 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, P.14, 3/18/10)

More Than $200 Billion In Cuts To Medicare Advantage
“Medicare Advantage Payments… -131.9 [Billion Dollars].” “TITLE III—Improving The Quality And Efficiency Of Health Care; Subtitle C—Provisions Relating to Part C; Medicare Advantage Payments… 2010-2019… -131.9 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Pelosi, P.13, 3/18/10)

“Medicare Advantage Interactions… -70.4 [Billion Dollars].” “Interactions; Medicare Advantage Interactions… 2010-2019… -70.4 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Pelosi, P.18, 3/18/10)

CBO: Medicare cuts could “reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, P. 1, 17, 11/18/09)

PROMISE # 3 ‘This Law Will Lower Premiums’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Families will save on their premiums.” (President Obama, Remarks After Meeting With Senate Democrats, 12/15/09)

OBAMA: “Your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent … which means they could give you a raise.” (“Will Health Care Bill Lower Premiums?” The Associated Press, 3/17/10)

OBAMA: “This law will lower premiums.” (President Obama, Remarks To ‘Families USA,’ 1/28/11)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “Bringing down costs of health insurance and making it more affordable is job one for this health care reform.” (Sen. Dick Durbin, Floor Remarks, 12/18/09)

CBO: The Law Will Increase Premiums On Families By $2,100 Per YearCBO: “Average premiums per policy in the nongroup market in 2016 would be roughly $5,800 for single policies and $15,200 for family policies under the proposal, compared with roughly $5,500 for single policies and $13,100 for family policies under current law. The weighted average of the differences in those amounts equals the change of 10 percent to 13 percent in the average premium per person…” (Emphasis In Original; CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Bayh, P. 6, 11/30/09)

WALL STREET JOURNAL: “The health-insurance premiums paid by employers rose sharply this year, with the average annual cost of family coverage passing the $15,000 mark for the first time, according to a major survey.” (“Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

“The average annual family premium for 2011 was $15,073, up from $13,770 last year.” (“Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

“…increase was tied to provisions of the federal health care overhaul…” (“Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

PROMISE #4: ‘Slow The Growth Of Health Care Costs’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

CMS: ‘Expenditures Under The Health Reform Act Would Increase By A Total Of $311 Billion’CMS ACTUARY RICHARD FOSTER: “[W]e estimate that overall national health expenditures under the health reform act would increase by a total of $311 billion (0.9 percent) during calendar years 2010-2019...” (CMS Actuary Richard Foster, Memo, P.4, 4/22/10)

FOSTER: “The NHE share of GDP is projected to be 21.0 percent in 2019, compared to 20.8 percent under prior law.” (CMS Actuary Richard Foster, Memo, P.16, 4/22/10)

CBO: “The legislation will increase the federal budgetary commitment to health care (the sum of net federal outlays for health programs and tax preferences for health care) by $390 billion over the next 10 years.” (“The Effects Of Health Reform On The Federal Budget,” CBO, 4/12/10)

PROMISE #5: ‘Federal Conscience Laws Will Remain In Place’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.” (President Obama, Remarks To A Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

HHS Regulations ‘Would Force Practically All Employers, Including Many Religious Institutions, To Pay For Abortion Inducing Drugs’ARCHBISHOP DOLAN: “…on January 20, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a decision to issue final regulations that would force practically all employers, including many religious institutions, to pay for abortion inducing drugs, sterilizations, and contraception. The regulations would provide no protections for our great institutions—such as Catholic charities, hospitals, and universities—or for the individual faithful in the marketplace. The regulations struck at the heart of our fundamental right to religious liberty, which affects our ability to serve those outside our faith community.” (Archbishop Dolan, Letter To U.S. Bishops, 2/23/12)

PROMISE #6: ‘My Plan Won’t Raise Your Taxes One Penny’SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “And if you're a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan won't raise your taxes one penny -- not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” (Barack Obama, Remarks, Orlando, FL, 8/3/08)

TAX HIKES: Billions In Taxes On Small Businesses, Private Health Insurance Plans, Medical Device Manufacturers, And OthersSEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “Yes, we’ve had to raise some taxes and fees to pay for this bill.” (CSPAN’s Washington Journal, 12/22/09)

$50 BILLION IN TAXES ON EMPLOYERS
“Penalty Payments By Employers… 2010-2019… -52 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Rep. Nancy Pelosi, P.8, 3/18/10)

$30 BILLION IN TAXES ON PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS
Tax On Private Health Insurance Plans: “32.0 [Billion Dollars].” JCT: “I. Revenue Provisions 1. 40% excise tax on health coverage in excess of $10,200/$27,500 (subject to adjustment for unexpected increase in medical costs prior to effective date) and increased thresholds of $1,650/$3,450 for over age 55 retirees or certain high-risk professions, both indexed for inflation by CPI-U plus 1%; adjustment based on age and gender profile of employees; vision and dental excluded from excise tax; levied at insurer level; employer aggregates and issues information return for insurers indicating amount subject to the excise tax; nondeductible… 2010-2019… 32.0 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute To H.R. 4872, The “Reconciliation Act Of 2010,” In Combination With The Revenue Effects Of H.R. 3590, The "Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act ('PPACA')," As Passed By The Senate,” Joint Committee On Taxation, P.1, 3/18/10)

“The fee on health insurance providers… Taxes may be borne by: consumers in the form of higher prices; owners of firms in the form of lower profits; employees of firms in the form of lower wages; or other suppliers to firms in the form of lower payments. … we estimate that eliminating this fee could decrease the average family premium in 2016 by $350 to $400.” (Thomas Barthold, Chief Of Staff Joint Committee On Taxation, Letter To Sen. Kyl, P.2, 5, 6/3/11)

$20 BILLION IN TAXES ON MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS
“Excise Tax On Manufacturers And Importers Of Certain Medical Devices… 20.0 [Billion Dollars].” JCT: “Impose 2.9% excise tax on manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices… 2010-2019… 20.0 [Billion Dollars].” (“Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute To H.R. 4872, The “Reconciliation Act Of 2010,” In Combination With The Revenue Effects Of H.R. 3590, The "Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act ('PPACA')," As Passed By The Senate,” Joint Committee On Taxation, P.2, 3/18/10)

PROMISE #7: Mandate Not ‘The Solution’SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “Here's the concern. If you haven't made it affordable, how are you going to enforce a mandate. I mean, if a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house.” (CNN’s “American Morning,” 2/5/08)

CBO: “Federal mandates that apply to individuals as members of society are extremely rare. One example is the requirement that draft-age men register with the Selective Service System. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is not aware of any others imposed by current federal law.” (“Budgetary Treatment Of An Individual Mandate To Buy Insurance,” Congressional Budget Office, P.13, 8/94)

“Penalty Payments By Employers And Uninsured Individuals… 2010-2019… 36 [Billion Dollars].” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, P.6, 11/18/09)

INDIVIDUALS: “A person without insurance could be required to pay a financial penalty, starting at $95 in 2014 and rising to $750 in 2016, with a maximum of $2,250 for a family.” (“Senate Health Plan Seeks To Add Coverage To 31 Million,” The New York Times, 11/19/09)

COMPANIES: “Firms with more than 50 workers that did not offer coverage would have to pay a penalty of $750 for each full-time worker if any of their workers obtained subsidized coverage through the insurance exchanges; that dollar amount would be indexed.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, P.7, 11/18/09)

PROMISE #8: ‘Broadcasting Those Negotiations On C-SPAN’SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): "That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are, because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process." (Sen. Obama, Presidential Debate, 1/31/08)

‘C-SPAN Cameras Won’t See The Real Action’“After months of buildup, the historic debate on health care reform opens on the senate floor Monday — but the C-SPAN cameras won’t see the real action.” (“Dems Seek Deal As Sen. Debate Begins,” Politico, 11/30/09)

“But now, as a senate vote on health-care legislation nears, those negotiations are occurring in a setting that is anything but revolutionary in Washington: three senators are working on the bill behind closed doors.” (“Small Group Now Leads Closed Negotiations On Health-Care Bill,” The Washington Post, 10/18/09)

“…there are controversial special provisions of the Senate health reform bill ... First up, the ‘Louisiana Purchase.’ … Landrieu said in a speech on the Senate floor Feb. 4th that critics should ‘shut their mouth.’” (“White House Cuts Special Help For Nebraska, But Other Deals Remain In Reform Bill,” ABC News, 2/22/10)

“[Nelson’s] involvement with the Affordable Care Act--including the ‘Cornhusker Kickback,’ or the perception that he tried to sell his vote for favorable language in the bill--left a bad taste in voters' mouths.” (“Nebraska Yet Another Blow To Senate Democrats' Hopes,” U.S. News & World Report, 12/28/11)

“… a backroom deal for Florida that was nicknamed ‘Gator Aid.’” (“Florida Poll: Healthcare Law Hurts Obama, Democrats,” The Miami Herald, 3/28/10)

“…calling the carve-out the ‘Bismarck Bank Job.’” (“Conrad Drops Support For North Dakota Provision To Avoid Controversy,” The Hill, 3/18/10)

“Critics are mocking it as ‘the Rocky Top vote swap.’” (“Health Bill Vote In Sight, Dems Seeking Gains Include Provision For TN Hospitals,” Knoxville News, 3/20/10)

PROMISE #9: ‘Will Not Sign It If It Adds One Dime To The Deficit’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 9/9/09)

‘New Reform Law Will Raise The Deficit By More Than $500 Billion During The First Ten Years’DAVID BRODER, The Washington Post: “Every expert I have talked to says that the public has it right. These bills, as they stand, are budget-busters.” (David Broder, Op-Ed, “A Budget-Buster In The Making,” The Washington Post, 11/22/09)

DOUG HOLTZ-EAKIN & MICHAEL RAMLET: “A more comprehensive and realistic projection suggests that the new reform law will raise the deficit by more than $500 billion during the first ten years and by nearly $1.5 trillion in the following decade.” (“Health Care Reform Is Likely To Widen Federal Budget Deficits, Not Reduce Them,” Health Affairs, 6/10)

PROMISE #10: Medical Liability Reform: ‘This Is Going To Be A Priority For Me’PRESIDENT OBAMA: “I want to work with the AMA so we can scale back the excessive defensive medicine that reinforces our current system, and shift to a system where we are providing better care, simply -- rather than simply more treatment. So this is going to be a priority for me.” (President Obama, Remarks To The AMA, Chicago, IL, 6/15/09)

‘Tort Reform Is Not In The Bill Is Because The People Who Wrote It Did Not Want To Take On The Trial Lawyers’
“It is the sense of the Senate that— health care reform presents an opportunity to address issues related to medical malpractice and medical liability insurance.” (S .Amdt 2786 To H.R. 3590, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” P. 1858)

HOWARD DEAN, Former DNC Chairman: “The reason that tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers in addition to everyone else they were taking on. And that is the plain and simple truth.” (Howard Dean, VA Town Hall Event, Minute 2, 8/26/09)

PROMISE #11: ‘Those Who Voted For Health Care Will Find It An Asset’SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “By November, those who voted for health care will find it an asset, those who voted against it will find it a liability…” (“Schumer Predicts Health Care Popularity,” Roll Call, 3/28/10)

‘Healthcare Reform Law Cost Democratic Incumbents 5.8 Percentage Points Of Support’“Democrats grossly underestimated the political damage of pushing through health care reform and that the issue is a primary reason democrats are set up for big losses come November.” (“Just How Damaging Was The Health Care Debate For Dems?” Time’s “Swampland” Blog, 9/1/10)

“Democrats in the lead-up to the elections took a number of tough votes — notably on the Wall Street bailout, the stimulus and cap-and-trade — but none was as unpopular as their support for the healthcare reform law.” (“Study: Votes In Favor Of Healthcare Reform Cost Dems 5.8 Points In 2010 Vote,” The Hill, 3/8/12)

“Voting for President Obama's healthcare reform law cost Democratic incumbents 5.8 percentage points of support at the polls in 2010, according to a new study in the journal American Politics Research.” (“Study: Votes In Favor Of Healthcare Reform Cost Dems 5.8 Points In 2010 Vote,” The Hill, 3/8/12)

AMERICAN POLITICS RESEARCH STUDY: “Our results suggest that the apparent effect of health care reform is not the result of extrapolation. The vote share of Democrats who supported health care reform was 5.8 points lower than that of the most comparable Democrats who opposed the bill.” (American Politics Research Study, Pg. 18, 3/6/12)

“Party officials in Washington can’t identify a single house member who’s running an ad boasting of a ‘yes’ vote.” (“Democrats Run Away From Health Care,” Politico, 9/5/10)

THIS MONTH: “The poll found that 35 percent of Americans support the health care law overhaul, while 47 percent oppose it… Opposition remains strongest among seniors, many of whom object that Medicare cuts were used to help finance coverage for younger uninsured people.” (“AP-Gfk Poll: Obama’s Health Overhaul Still Unpopular, But Fewer Expect Own Care To Worsen,” The Associated Press, 3/9/12)

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