Sen. Chuck Grassley works to reverse the negative effects of Obamacare with the goal of replacing the entire flawed law. He is working toward passage of his bipartisan legislation, the Small Business Health Care Relief Act, that would allow small businesses to resume helping their employees buy individual health insurance, something disrupted by Obamacare. Grassley has voted several times to repeal Obamacare. In December 2015, Grassley voted in favor of a bill to repeal much of Obamacare. Congress passed the measure, but President Obama vetoed it. Grassley made the following comment today, the first day of open enrollment for 2017.
“Obamacare is a case of over-promise and under-delivery. The promises and spin coming out of Washington, D.C., are at a disconnect with the reality on the ground. People were promised more choice, lower costs, and the ability to keep the doctors and health care plans they knew and liked. In many cases, the opposite is true. For 2017, Iowans in 13 rural counties who want to take part will have just one health insurance plan participating in their area. Statewide, premium increases for participants will be 19 percent to 43 percent. Many individuals could be priced out of the market. Some states, like Arizona, are even worse off.
“The Obama Administration is trying to put a positive spin on enrollment predictions but the true story requires answering some key questions. How many potential enrollees will stay away because of double- digit premium increases? How many enrollees will be forced to drop out over the course of the year because they can’t afford their premiums? How many enrollees won’t use their coverage because they can’t afford the co-payments and deductibles? And how many people can obtain coverage only with government-provided subsidies?
“Instead of a program that hasn’t met its promises, we should look for more ways to encourage employers to offer good health care coverage to their employees. We should crack down on frivolous lawsuits, let people purchase insurance across state lines, improve transparency in health care prices, give states more freedom to improve Medicaid and use consumer choice to drive competition, which drives down costs. Congress and the next president should work on these priorities."
