The debate on repealing the health care law began with discussion of the impact the law will have on the federal budget. We heard many times last year that the health care law would save the federal government money. But analysis by the House Budget Committee and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows otherwise.
Those claiming the law saves money fail to account for the $115 billion needed to implement the law, double-count $521 billion from Social Security payroll taxes, CLASS Act premiums, and Medicare cuts, exclude a costly Medicare physician payment reimbursement rates, and measure 10 years of revenues to offset six years of new spending. Including these costs reveals the true cost of the law: over $700 billion in red ink over the next decade. To read more, please visit http://budget.house.gov/healthcare/.
Therefore, the health care law fails to save the federal government money. At the same time, it fails to save the American family money. Many families saw their premiums rise this past month despite promises that the health care law would contain costs. Moreover, entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security still face insolvency – sometimes in spite of substantial cuts, as in the case of Medicare where nearly half of Medicare Advantage enrollees can expect to lose their coverage.
The Administration and 111th Congress may have been satisfied with the above scenario, but I’m not and from what I’ve heard, the American people aren’t either. The House should find a way to expand coverage without compromising quality of care or bankrupting our country. A good first start would be repealing the $700 billion in spending in the health care law.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Lungren
Member of Congress
No comments:
Post a Comment