Dems: Obamacare Is A Disaster

Growing Chorus Of ‘Very Concerned’ Democrats Decry Obamacare ‘Train Wreck,’ Even President Obama Acknowledges ‘Glitches And Bumps’

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “The Affordable Care Act, Obamacare… there'll still be, you know, glitches and bumps. And there will be stories that can be written that says, ‘Oh, look, this thing's, you know, not working…’” (President Obama, Press Briefing, 4/30/13)

Dems: ‘It’s Going To Be A Train Wreck,’ ‘It'll Just Simply Get Worse’

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): ‘Max said unless we implement this properly it’s going to be a train wreck, and I agree with him.’ “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he shares colleagues’ concerns that the Affordable Care Act could become a ‘train wreck’ if it’s not implemented properly. … ‘Max said unless we implement this properly it’s going to be a train wreck, and I agree with him,’ Reid said…” (“Reid: More Funding Needed To Prevent Obamacare From Becoming 'Train Wreck,'” The Hill, 5/1/13)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “I just tell you, I just see a huge train wreck coming down.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/17/13)

SEN. RON WYDEN (D-OR): “There is reason to be very concerned about what's going to happen with young people. If their (insurance) premiums shoot up, I can tell you, that is going to wash into the United States Senate in a hurry.” (“Obamacare Is On The Horizon, But Will Enough People Sign Up?” Reuters, 5/5/13)

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): “…said he told White House officials on Thursday that he was concerned about big rate increases being sought by the largest health insurer in his state.” (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): “We are hearing from a lot of small businesses in New Hampshire that do not know how to comply with the law... (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV): “I'm of the belief that the ACA is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by United States Congress… it worries me, because it is so complicated. And if it isn't done right the first time, it'll just simply get worse.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/19/13)
REP. AMI BERA (D-CA): ‘Very concerned’ “‘We have one chance to get this right,’ Bera told The Bee's editorial board. ‘If this fails and blows up, it is probably another decade if not longer before health care and we don't have another decade.’ As a former chief medical officer for Sacramento County and an assistant dean at UC Davis medical school, Bera, an Elk Grove Democrat, might have a few suggestions about Obamacare's impending roll-out. ‘I'm moderately to very concerned,’ Bera said.”  (“Ami Bera Dings Obama Administration For Rollout Of Affordable Care Act,” The Sacramento Bee, 5/1/13)

“…House Democrats have raised concerns in a closed-door meeting with HHS’s Mike Hash that the administration needs to step up its efforts to get the public informed about the health law, according to sources who were in the room.”  (“House Democrats Voice Health Law Implementation Concerns To HHS,” Politico Pro, 4/26/13)

• REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D-TX): “It’s a big task and I’m concerned about it…” (“House Democrats Voice Health Law Implementation Concerns To HHS,” Politico Pro, 4/26/13)

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Obamacare Unaffordable For Many’

‘Health Insurance Costs to Increase Significantly Under Affordable Care Act,’ Many Will Face ‘Serious Sticker Shock’
‘Unaffordable For Many Low-Wage Workers’

“President Barack Obama's health care law is called the Affordable Care Act, but a glitch could make it unaffordable for many low-wage workers, including employees at big chain restaurants, retail stores and hotels.” (“Coverage May Be Unaffordable For Low-Wage Workers,” AP, 6/13/13)

• ‘Could be unaffordable for many’ “The law requires medium-sized and large employers to offer what it calls ‘affordable’ coverage or face fines. But policy experts and corporate consultants say the definition of ‘affordable’ can mean premiums up to 9.5 percent of an employee's income. And that could be unaffordable for many people making around $20,000 a year or a few thousand more.” (“Coverage May Be Unaffordable For Low-Wage Workers,” AP, 6/13/13)
• “…do the math from the worker's side: For an employee making $21,000 a year, 9.5 percent of their income could mean premiums as high as $1,995 and the insurance would still be considered affordable. …For a basic plan, they could also face an annual deductible amounting to $3,000 or so, before insurance starts paying.” Ibid

“Health Insurance Costs to Increase Significantly Under Affordable Care Act: The Department's preliminary analysis of the proposed plans for the individual market reveal that insurers expect the cost to cover health care expenses for consumers will significantly increase. Based on a report released by the Society of Actuaries earlier this year, the Department estimates this increase is an average of 88 percent.” (Ohio Department Of Insurance, Press Release, 6/6/13)

• ‘Average to cover those costs in 2014 is $420 representing an increase of 88 percent’ “Estimates from a Society of Actuaries study released in 2013 showed Ohio’s current average cost to cover medical expenses for an individual health insurance plan is $223. Based on the proposals submitted to the Department, the average to cover those costs in 2014 is $420 representing an increase of 88 percent when compared to the Society of Actuaries study.”Ibid</span
• “The number of Ohioans who buy individual health coverage directly from insurers is expected to more than double between 2010 and 2017, from 350,000 in 2010 to 735,000 in 2017.” (“Insurance Prices Still Unclear,” Columbus Dispatch, 6/7/13)

“… [M]any small businesses — defined by the health care law as those with up to 100 employees — could be in for serious sticker shock. ‘Based on what we’re hearing from small businesses, we believe that group could see the largest increases in costs,’ [Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor] said.” (“Health Care Premiums Likely To Rise For Most Ohio Businesses Under ACA,” Dayton Daily News, 6/6/13)

• “… [T]he average rate increase for most small businesses are expected to increase between 5 and 15 percent next year, according to the ODI study…” (“Health Care Premiums Likely To Rise For Most Ohio Businesses Under ACA,” Dayton Daily News, 6/6/13)

‘A Huge Train Wreck Coming Down’

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): ‘Max said unless we implement this properly it’s going to be a train wreck, and I agree with him.’ “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he shares colleagues’ concerns that the Affordable Care Act could become a ‘train wreck’ if it’s not implemented properly. … ‘Max said unless we implement this properly it’s going to be a train wreck, and I agree with him,’ Reid said…” (“Reid: More Funding Needed To Prevent Obamacare From Becoming 'Train Wreck,'” The Hill, 5/1/13)

• SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “I just tell you, I just see a huge train wreck coming down.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/17/13)

by William Warren

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Tags: Obamavare Unaffordable, Train Wreck, editorial cartoon, William Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

End of the Line: Why the EPA Train Wreck Must be Stopped

by Lisa Benson

By James Hammerton, FreedomWorks Researcher: Behind the scenes, while Washington and the United States focus on the debt crisis, President Obama’s EPA has been quietly implementing one of the most radical and costly policies of his administration. Ever since the failure of cap-and-trade, the administration has turned to the EPA to carry out its radical environmental agenda. Immediately after the 2010 election Obama was quoted saying “Cap-and-trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way.” The EPA is in the process of completing and finalizing 30 major regulations and 170 major policy rules that would impose hundreds of billions of dollars of compliance costs on the economy, killing jobs and threatening the economic recovery. Because of the disastrous affects that the EPA’s new regulations will have on the already struggling economy, many have taken to calling the administration’s aggressive stance the “EPA train wreck.”

The train wreck is comprised of a series of sweeping new regulations that cover everything from industrial emissions of mercury, ozone, and carbon dioxide to new permitting requirements. The EPA claims that these regulations are necessary to protect public health, even though America’s air is already the cleanest it has been in the last thirty years. Increasing the prices of traditional fossil-fuel energy sources has been a long time goal of many radicals on the left. President Obama has openly admitted that his under his proposed cap-and-trade program “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” Unsurprisingly, the EPA train wreck would be just as disastrous to American energy. Many regulations specifically target America’s coal industry, and will result in much higher electricity prices. Estimates indicate that if all proposed regulations are finalized 22 percent of coal fired plants would not be able to meet requirements and would be forced out of business, eliminating 75 gigawatts (enough electricity to power around 50 million homes) of coal produced electricity. In turn, rising electricity prices will take their toll on employment.

The EPA regulation train has already left the station and is hurtling toward an economic derailing. On July 6 the EPA finalized the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), the first of many in the EPA’s newest wave of regulation. CSAPR, is an air transport rule that regulates emissions from coal fired power plants in 27 states. It imposes unrealistic cuts on the emissions of sulfur dioxide and ozone. The rule is designed to prevent emissions from drifting over state lines, but in order to “protect” the states, the EPA has trampled on states’ rights. Instead of following usual procedure and allowing states to propose their own plans to enforce EPA regulations, the EPA is directly mandating individual plans for each regulated state. The EPA is enforcing immediate adoption; new rules will go into effect January 1, 2012, meaning that utilities will have almost no time to adapt to new regulations.

The EPA plans to continue its onslaught of new regulation with new Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules on track to go on the books this November. These rules also target coal fired power plants and call for huge reductions in mercury, particulate matter, and other common emissions. Under MACT rules, all power plants will be required to meet the same standards as the top 12% of plants.

The EPA is also preparing to by revise its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for industrial ozone emissions this year. The decision to increase standards is based on selective sampling of scientific research to arrive at the conclusion that reducing Ozone emissions would reduce asthma rates. Tighter NAAQS standards could cost the economy as much as $90 billion a year, according to the EPA’s own overly conservative estimates, and according to research by MAPI/Manufacturers Alliance could result in the loss of as many as 7 million jobs by 2020.

The CSPAR, MACT, and NAAQS rules are just the beginning of the EPA’s new regulatory package. The EPA is currently developing a slew of new anti-energy rules that would enact unnecessary regulations on everything from greenhouse gas emissions to cooling water intake at electricity generating facilities. Although it is difficult to measure what the final cost of the EPA train wreck will be until the rules are finalized and go into effect, the America Legislative Exchange Council cites estimates that indicate that proposed EPA regulations could cost the economy as much as $920 billion in the next few years and much more money in the future.

Just the CSPAR and MACT rules alone will have disastrous effects on our already fragile economy. Most power plants will have to invest millions of dollars in expensive new capital in order to comply with new regulations. These costs will inevitably be passed on to consumers in the form of higher electricity prices. Other plants will be unable to comply with regulations and will be forced out of business, resulting in job losses and even higher energy prices. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity estimates that CSPAR and MACT rules will result in the net loss of 1.44 million job-years. Electricity prices are estimated to grow by 12% across the nation and by as much as 24% in regions that depend heavily on coal. Higher energy prices mean that individuals and businesses have less money available to spend and invest in the economy. The EPA’s flurry of regulation is also creating an atmosphere where potential investors are afraid to invest in energy dependent industries, creating a further drag on economic growth.

Fortunately, it is not too late to stop the EPA train wreck. A House bill sponsored by Rep. John Sullivan would delay the enactment of costly EPA regulations. The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act calls for the creation of a committee to investigate the economic consequences of proposed EPA regulations, before the regulations go into effect. The bill would slow the EPA’s out-of-control agenda and force the EPA and the administration to take a closer look at the true cost of regulation. The House appropriations committee has also passed an appropriations bill cutting EPA’s budget by 18% and defunding its ability enact many proposed regulations such as greenhouse gas rules and regulations that would define coal ash as a hazardous waste. The bill also includes an amendment added by Rep. Lummis which would force the EPA to assess the economic impact of all proposed regulations and prohibit funds from being expended on the air transport (CSPAR) and MACT rules. If passed by Congress, the bill will slow the EPA’s regulatory agenda, allowing a more careful assessment of the costs of these new regulations.

Obama’s EPA is ignoring the costs to the economy, as it pushes for new regulation. An EPA official testifying before congress about an upcoming regulation admitted, “We have not directly taken a look at jobs in the proposal.” The EPA is at the forefront of the administration’s regulatory agenda. At a time when the economy is struggling to recover from recession, more regulations that increase energy prices and destroy jobs are the last thing the nation needs. Unless the EPA’s radical agenda is stopped the economy could be heading toward a train wreck.

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Tags: MAPI, Manufacturers Alliance, Research, CSPAR, MACT, NAAQS, rules, regulations, Energy, Environment, Red Tape, EPA, Anti-Business, train wreck, lost jobs To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obamacare ‘Train Wreck’ - Dem's Seek To Distance Themselves Responsibility

Even The Obama Administration Confesses They’re ‘Pretty Nervous’ It Could Be ‘A Third-World Experience’

Sen. Baucus (D-MT): ‘I Just See A Huge Train Wreck Coming Down’

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): ‘I just see a huge train wreck coming down,’ ‘People are going to be really confused,’ ‘you've hired a contractor… that's going to be money down the drain’ “I'm a bit Johnny One-Note on implementation of the law, especially with respect to signups and exchanges, et cetera, and am very concerned not enough is being done so far. Very concerned. … I understand you've hired a contractor. I'm just worried that that's going to be money down the drain because contractors like to make money more than they do like to do anything else. That's their job. They've got to worry about their shareholders and whatnot. And also, all the other agencies are all involved. People are going to be really confused. And maybe give some thought to one-stop shopping somehow, so you go to one location -- a business person -- one location, get the answers. I just tell you, I just see a huge train wreck coming down.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/17/13)

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV): “I'm of the belief that the ACA is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by United States Congress… it worries me, because it is so complicated. And if it isn't done right the first time, it'll just simply get worse.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/19/13)

HENRY CHAO, CMS Official On Obamacare Exchanges: ‘I’m pretty nervous… Let’s just make sure it’s not a third-world experience’ “…Henry Chao, a CMS official who’s overseeing the technology for the exchange launch. Chao was frank about the stress and tension of the compressed time frame involved in setting up the exchanges. ‘We are under 200 days from open enrollment, and I’m pretty nervous,’ he said. … ‘Let’s just make sure it’s not a third-world experience.’” (“HHS Working On Contingency Plans In Case Exchanges Not Ready In Time,” The Commonwealth Fund Newsletter, 3/14/13)

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Drive to Stop the ObamaCare Train Wreck Continues - Time for President to Fire Sec. Sebelius

“President Obama’s health care website is not a glitch. It is a $500+ million national embarrassment, and top agency officials should be held accountable for this failure that has been three years in the making. . . . President Obama’s signature health care law is clearly not ready for prime time, and it’s time for him to stop re-packaging this failed product and start working with us to end this train wreck before even more taxpayer money is wasted.” ~ Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Republican Study Committee Chairman

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While Congress may not be in session, House Committees continue their work.

Speaker's Update:
This Thursday, 10/24, the House Energy & Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the president’s health care law, which is driving up costs, threatening jobs, kicking Americans out of plans they like – and whose rollout has been a disaster:

• Skyrocketing Prices, Blank Screens, & Error Messages
• “HHS Secretary refuses to testify about ObamaCare's rollout”

The hearing - entitled “PPACA Implementation Failures: Didn’t Know or Didn’t Disclose?” - will take place at 9 AM ET and can be watched live online here.

“Our drive to stop the train wreck that is the president's health care law will continue,” said Speaker Boehner. “We will rely on aggressive oversight that highlights the law's massive flaws and smart, targeted strikes that split the legislative coalition the president has relied upon to force his health care law on the American people.”

In addition, Speaker John Boehner today issued the following statements.

With President Obama Offering No Answers, Sec. Sebelius Must Testify in House
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement in response to the president’s remarks on Obamacare in the Rose Garden today and reiterated his call for HHS Secretary Sebelius to appear at Thursday’s oversight hearing at the House Energy & Commerce Committee.“If the president is frustrated by the mounting failures of his health care law, it wasn’t apparent today. Americans are looking for accountability, but what the president offered today was little more than self-congratulation. Instead of answers, we got well-worn talking points. Instead of explanations, we got excuses.  Either the president doesn’t grasp the scale of the law’s failures or he doesn’t believe Americans deserve straight answers.

“The president is right about one thing: his health care law is more than a website. It is Americans across the country receiving policy cancellation notices in the mail. It is higher premiums for middle class families. It is American workers losing hours, pushed into part-time jobs. And it is small businesses afraid to hire new employees. The law – inside and out – is a train wreck that needs to be stopped.

“Americans didn’t get any answers from the president today, but the House’s oversight of this failure is just beginning. Secretary Sebelius must change her mind and appear at this week’s hearing in the House. With more than one trillion taxpayer dollars being spent on a completely defective program, Congress is going to get to the bottom of this debacle.”Secretary Sebelius, Administration Need to Provide Answers for Obamacare Failure But Declined to Attending Thursday's House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) responded to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius declining to attend the hearing:“The refusal of Secretary Sebelius to appear at this week’s hearing shows that this administration is still not prepared to be straight with the American people. Every day new questions about the president’s health care law arise, but candid explanations are nowhere to be found. This decision continues a troubling pattern of this administration seeking to avoid accountability and stonewall the public. What is more important to Secretary Sebelius than providing answers to the American people? I hope President Obama has a greater appreciation for the role of oversight and orders his Secretary to fully cooperate with all congressional inquiries.”ARRA News Service Editor's Note: - The House Republican leadership has appeared gracious in their invites to Sec. Sebelius to appear and address the fiasco with the Affordable Care Act website and the use of navigators without clearances or even non- American citizens to collect personal information.

It is time for Sec. Sebelius to be subpoenaed. No more kid gloves.

If President Obama wishes to be remembered in history with positive influence regarding his now namesake legislation, "Obamacare," he had best order Sebelius before Congress. Then after she is finished stumbling around in her testimony, he should fire and replace her with someone who will straighten out the gigantic mess that Sebelius allowed to accrue under her leadership. Sebelius will go down in history as a prime example of the "Peter Principle" - "where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability."

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Tags: House Committees, hearings, Obamacare, train wreck, HHS, Sec. Seibelius, Peter Principle, fire Seibelius To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obamacare TrainWreck Continues ...

. . . Premiums Higher As Employers Drop Coverage - No More Health Benefits For Spouses - Higher Deductibles For Employees - More Cost-Sharing

The Train Wreck Continues

In a must-read article today, National Journal writes, “Republicans have long blamed President Obama's signature health care initiative for increasing insurance costs, dubbing it the ‘Unaffordable Care Act.’ Turns out, they might be right.

“For the vast majority of Americans, premium prices will be higher in the individual exchange than what they're currently paying for employer-sponsored benefits, according to a National Journal analysis of new coverage and cost data. Adding even more out-of-pocket expenses to consumers' monthly insurance bills is a swell in deductibles under the Affordable Care Act. Health law proponents have excused the rate hikes by saying the prices in the exchange won't apply to the millions receiving coverage from their employers. But that's only if employers continue to offer that coverage--something that's looking increasingly uncertain. Already, UPS, for example, cited Obamacare as its reason for nixing spousal coverage. And while a Kaiser Family Foundation report found that 49 percent of the U.S. population now receives employer-sponsored coverage, more companies are debating whether they will continue to be in the business of providing such benefits at all.” But, National Journal writes ,“The trap is that the exchanges also present a savings for some employers but a rate hike for their employees. And shifting employees to the exchanges also is just logistically easier than trying to meet the law's employer mandate.”

The article explains, “Whether the quality of care in the new market is comparable to private offerings remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: The cost of care in the new market doesn't stack up. A single wage earner must make less than $20,000 to see his or her current premiums drop or stay the same under Obamacare, an independent review by National Journal found. That's equivalent to approximately 34 percent of all single workers in the U.S. seeing any benefit in the new system. For those seeking family-of-four coverage under the ACA, about 43 percent will see cost savings. Families must earn less than or equal to $62,300, or they, too, will be looking at a bigger bill. Those numbers include the generous tax subsidies designed to make the new system more attractive to consumers. . . . On average, a worker paid between $862 and $1,065 per year for single coverage in 2013, according to Kaiser's numbers. For the average family plan, defined as a family of four, insurance cost between $4,226 and $5,284. Fewer than half of all families and only a third of single workers would qualify for enough Obamacare tax subsidies to pay within or below those averages next year.”

At the same time, many employers are facing higher costs, leading them to drop benefits or pay for less health care for employees. CNNMoney writes today, “No more health benefits for spouses. Higher deductibles for employees. More cost-sharing. Employers are citing increased costs imposed by the Affordable Care Act -- as Obamacare is formally known -- as part of the reason they are pulling back on benefits. President Obama said this spring that little will change for the 85% to 90% of Americans who already have coverage, only that ‘their insurance is stronger, better, more secure than it was before.’ But that's actually not the case at a growing number of companies. [UPS], for instance, recently told employees that health reform is contributing a 4% increase to the cost of coverage for 2014, while health care inflation adds another 7.25%. And Delta Air Lines said that Obamacare and inflation would increase costs by $100 million, though it only identifies $38 million as due to health reform. The University of Virginia, meanwhile, said it will have to pay more than $7 million in Obamacare fees and taxes in 2014, which would result in a ‘double digit premium increase’ if it didn't implement savings measures. As a result, UPS and UVa said they are dropping coverage for employees' spouses that have access to benefits elsewhere. Delta said in a letter to administration officials that it will have to pass along some of the rising costs to its employees.”

As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this year on the third anniversary of Democrats passing their unpopular health care law, “Republicans have long warned that Obamacare would have a devastating impact on our country. I’ve spoken about 100 times on the Senate floor against Obamacare, and I’ve warned about its consequences: increased premiums, lost jobs, higher taxes. Unfortunately, many of those things have already started happening – and the federal government has only just begun implementing this law. . . . Members of the President’s own party have begun sounding the alarm about the law’s tax hikes, including its tax on medical devices. His union allies are concerned the law will make them less competitive too. Well of course it will. Perhaps some of those union bosses should have more thoroughly considered the wellbeing of their members before supporting Obamacare’s passage in the first place. . . . In my view, Obamacare is a colossal mistake for our country. There’s just no way to fix it. It needs to be pulled out by its roots and we need to start over. This bill needs to be repealed and replaced – not with another unreadable law or another 20,000 pages of regulations – but with common-sense reforms that actually lower health care costs.”

Fox News's "Happening Now" this morning reported on another Obamacare delay, quoting U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said, "I've been warning that a train wreck is coming with this law, but the truth is that no train wreck has ever had this many warning signs."
It is obvious to all but the desperate acolytes of Mr. Obama that the wheels are coming off Obamacare and we are watching a major Train Wreck occurring in slow-motion.  The questions now become, why isn't President Obama pulling the emergency cord to stop this destructive event?   Doesn't he care about the USA?  Does he believe America will be better with a third world healthcare system?

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Tags: Obamacare, train wreck, Higher premiums, employers dropping coverage, - no health benefits,, spouses, higher deductibles, more cost-sharing To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

House Addressed Obamacare Mandates | News Reports Continue Focus on Obamacare Train Wreck In Progress

Today in Washington, D.C. - July 18, 2013:
The Senate convened at 9:30 AM today. Following an hour of morning business, the Senate resumed post-cloture consideration of the nomination of Thomas Perez to be Secretary of Labor. The Senate then voted (54-46) and confirmed Perez, The Senate also voted (59-40)  along party lines to confirm Gina McCarthy to be EPA director.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 82-18 to invoke cloture (cut off debate) on the nomination of Fred Hochberg to be president of the Import-Export Bank. Senators later voted 82-17 to confirm his nomination. The Senate also voted 60-40 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Thomas Perez to be Secretary of Labor.

The House convened at 10 AM and moved to address H.R. 5 — "To support State and local accountability for public education, protect State and local authority, inform parents of the performance of their children's schools, and for other purposes." Numerous amendment votes anticipated.

Yesterday, the House voted on two bills related to the Obama care mandate.  The first was an effort to legitimize the Obama Administration waiver of the health insurance mandate which was not in compliance with the law.  The Republicans put forth a bill to do this and democrats in general opposed the bill.:
H.R. 2667 (264-161) — "To delay the application of the employer health insurance mandate, and for other purposes."
The Second bill voted along party lines was put forth by Republicans to also waive the mandate for the same period for all individuals as well:
H.R. 2668 (251-174) — "To delay the application of the individual health insurance mandate."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today announced that he has tapped Reps. Tim Griffin (R-AR) and Todd Young (R-IN) to deliver the Weekly Republican Address on Saturday, July 20.  Griffin and Young will focus on their legislation H.R. 2667 and H.R. 2668  passed yesterday delaying implementation of the employer mandate in ObamaCare and providing the same relief and basic fairness to individuals.

ObamaCare Train Wreck

Today, Speaker Boehner addressed the reports of the pending train wreck of  Obamacare.  He said, “The picture that the president paints of his health care law looks nothing like the reality facing struggling American families.  They know that the law is turning out to be a train wreck.  Not ‘fabulous’ or ‘wonderful.’  A train wreck.  Nearly every major promise the president has made has been shattered.  The law is costing American jobs; it’s forcing people to give up health plans they like; and it’s driving up the cost of care for families across America.  In my home state, many Ohioans will pay nearly $200 more a month, on average, for individual plans. The Congressional Budget office has confirmed that any giveaways in the law are dwarfed by the higher costs it will create for consumers. The cost and complexity of the law are so great that the president had to give businesses an exemption from its mandates.  Yet – unfairly – American families are not getting the same protections.  Even the president’s allies in the labor unions have said the botched implementation of the health care law is leading to ‘nightmare scenarios.’

The Speaker also said “There’s no fairness when big businesses are getting an exemption from ObamaCare mandates, but American families are not.  That’s why the House this week passed bills extending those protections – and some basic fairness – to all Americans.  To keep the pressure on, I have asked Tim Griffin and Todd Young – the sponsors of this week’s bills – to deliver our weekly Republican address.”

“Both of ObamaCare’s mandates are hurting our economy and adding to the challenges that families and workers already face,” Rep. Griffin (AR-02) said.  “They represent everything that is wrong with ObamaCare’s top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care, which a majority of Americans oppose.”

“The White House proposed delaying the employer mandate because businesses are having trouble complying with the complexities of the law,” Rep. Young (IN-04) said.  “But the individual mandate is just as confusing to individuals, and they don’t have an army of lawyers and accountants at their disposal to make sense of it.  This is a simple issue of fairness: hardworking Americans and their families deserve the same sort of tax relief that President Obama is proposing to give to big corporations.”

Time writes, “In a speech at the White House today, President Barack Obama will seek to redirect public attention away from the slow but steady drip of recent news stories about the imperfections of Obamacare. Exactly how the law will work is still a mystery to most Americans and, in this vacuum, Republican opponents of the law have renewed attacks on the health care overhaul and seized on the Administration’s admission that some parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will not be ready on schedule.” A “slow but steady drip” of news stories about the problems of Obamacare might accurately characterize the frequency of such reports since Democrats passed this unpopular law, but over the last 3 months, the rate of reports has in fact become a deluge. The Hill notes, “Senior administration officials characterized Thursday's speech as a chance to cut through the ‘abstraction’ of the political debate surrounding the healthcare law ­. . . and focus on communicating what the law actually does.”

But it’s hard for the White House to deem the daily parade of stories about the problems resulting from Obamacare and the difficulties it faces in implementation as “abstractions.” Recently, Americans have seen stories describing how Obamacare is forcing employers to reduce hours at businesses across the country, how it’s resulting in higher premiums for many Americans, and how it will result in “consumer horror stories.” Will President Obama deem these all “abstractions” in his speech today?

Just last night, Reuters reported, “Two U.S. government officials warned on Wednesday that the launch of new state healthcare exchanges could potentially be delayed, raising further doubts about the implementation of President Barack Obama's signature legislation. Alan Duncan, an auditor with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an Internal Revenue Service agency that monitors performance, said testing the systems needed to implement the exchanges ‘will be difficult to complete’ by the October 1 start date. ‘The lack of adequate testing could result in significant delays and errors in accepting and processing ... applications for health insurance coverage,’ he told the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform committee. At the same hearing, Government Accountability Office official John Dicken said the amount of work the federal government needs to do in each state has yet to be determined, raising the risk of missing deadlines. He added that the federal government and the states have already missed some deadlines.” Are these problems “abstractions?”

Even prominent union leaders who supported the law are belatedly realizing what a bad piece of legislation it is, as The Wall Street Journal editors point out today: “Last week's open letter comes from James Hoffa (the Teamsters), Joseph Hansen (United Food and Commercial Workers International) and Donald Taylor (Unite-Here, a hotel and other services union). All three, who together represent three million workers, acknowledge they were once ‘strong supporters’ of the Affordable Care Act but now lament the law's ‘perverse incentives’ that ‘are already creating nightmare scenarios.’ The law ‘will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans,’ they note, with some understatement. . . . [T]he Teamsters, UFCW and Unite-Here do have a point that ObamaCare will damage their current coverage—in violation of Mr. Obama's frequent pledge that if you like your health plan you can keep it. . . . This union remonstrance is on the heels of the 22,000-member United Union of Roofers call in April ‘for repeal or complete reform’ of ObamaCare. No doubt there will be more such retractions in the months to come.” Are all these concerns “abstractions?”

Time notes, “The White House is hoping this tableau [of Obama touting various Obamacare provisions] will distract Americans from the Administration’s recent admission that the law’s requirement that larger employers provide health coverage for workers will be delayed. The employer mandate, as the requirement is known, will instead begin in 2015. On Wednesday, Republican leaders in the House orchestrated votes to delay by one year both the employer mandate and the individual mandate, the latter of which requires individuals to carry health insurance or face federal fines.” Politico points out that “they forced Democrats into the awkward position of either supporting the president — who vowed to veto the legislation — or running the risk of appearing to treat Americans unfairly.” Absurdly, according to The Hill, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, “The president would veto those bills because, if they were ever to become law, it would be bad for the American people.” A bill codifying the delay in the employer mandate the president declared by fiat is “bad for the American people?” How does that work?

Speaking on the Senate floor this morning, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell addressed what reports say the focus of President Obama’s speech will be: some Americans getting rebates. “Later today, the President is scheduled to deliver a speech on Obamacare. He’s expected to say that, because of Obamacare, Americans can expect checks in the mail,” he said. “Sounds great, doesn’t it? Free money. But, as they say, most things in life that sound too good to be true very often are. And, in this case, it’s not so much that people will be getting free money, as that most people will be paying many dollars more for their healthcare and maybe – just maybe – getting a few bucks back. In other words, if you’re a family in Covington facing a $2,100 premium increase under Obamacare, then, really, what would you rather have: a check for $100 or so, or a way to avoid the $2,100 premium increase in the first place? I think the answer’s obvious. And I think most Kentuckians would agree that this is just another sad attempt by the Administration to spin them into wanting a law they don’t.”

McConnell concluded, “So if the Administration is concerned with saving people money on their health care, I have some advice for them. Work with us to repeal Obamacare and start over – work with us to implement common-sense, step-by-step reforms that can actually lower costs for Kentuckians. Because jacking up our constituents’ health care costs is bad enough, but to try to then convince them the opposite is happening – that they’ve actually won some Publishers Clearinghouse sweepstakes, well, it’s just as absurd as it sounds.”

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Tags: Senate confirmations, House Bills, Obamacare problems, train wreck, mandates, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Millions Will Lose Current Policies

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Yesterday I reported that hundreds of thousands of people had received notices from their health insurance companies cancelling their current policies. It turns out that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Millions of Americans are going to lose their existing coverage.

The Weekly Standard reports that health policy expert Bob Laszewski has analyzed the impact of Obamacare's complex regulations on the individual health insurance market. According to his findings, 85% of existing individual plans do not comply with Obamacare. Translation: 16 million people will lose their current policies.

Think about that. That's 16 million people, many are small business owners, who have been responsible enough to buy their own health insurance. Now Obama is telling them in effect, "You can't keep your current policy, no matter how much you liked it. And, by the way, the new one will probably cost even more!"

Democrats Getting Desperate
The Obama White House and congressional Democrats are scrambling to respond to the Obamacare "train wreck." They should have seen it coming. Not only did conservatives warn them years ago when they passed Obamacare without a single GOP vote, but even senior Senate Democrats tried to warn them.

Six months ago, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and one of the principle authors of Obamacare, chastised HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, saying, "I just see a huge train wreck coming down. You and I have discussed this many times, and I don't see any results yet."

What exactly did Baucus discuss with Sebelius? Perhaps he should be called to testify too. Not surprisingly, Baucus is retiring next year rather than face his own "train wreck" at the ballot box.

But realizing the mess they are in, the Obama White House and its Democrat allies are proposing a really radical solution: Now they want to delay Obamacare!

The administration announced it is delaying for six weeks the deadline to sign up for Obamacare and avoid the individual mandate penalty for not having insurance. The initial deadline was February 15th. Now it is March 31st. The White House took this step after increasingly nervous Senate Democrats up for reelection next year demanded it.

But Democrats are not stopping there. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is drafting legislation to delay Obamacare's individual mandate for one year.

Where have I heard that idea before? Oh, right -- proposed delaying the individual mandate by one year as part of a budget deal to avoid the government shutdown. For that they were denounced as "radicals," "hostage takers" and worse.

Moral Relativism and The Left
Traditional morality teaches that lying, cheating and stealing are wrong. But the philosophical left argues that morality is in the eye of the beholder. If you're serving the left's greater cause, the ends justify the means. Lying can be okay in order to stop "Neanderthal" conservatives.

Over the years, the left has engaged in lying more and more frequently as a political tactic. When thousands of people came to Washington in March 2010 to rally against Obamacare, liberal members of Congress intentionally walked through the middle of that rally rather than use the vast complex of trams and tunnels that run underneath Capitol Hill, which allow members of Congress to avoid the "smelly tourists."

As they walked through the crowd, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus claimed they were spat on. In this age of instant cell phone videos, no evidence was ever produced to support that outrageous charge. Yet that incident has been repeatedly cited as evidence of the rampant racism within the Tea Party movement.

I have experienced the same tactics. During a recent speech, I said that the nihilistic left wants to kill Judeo-Christian civilization. A leftwing blogger funded by George Soros and assigned to monitor my speech wrote, "Bauer just said liberals want to kill Christians." That lie is now in the blogosphere and will be repeated over and over again. People who come across it will assume I am an extremist for saying something I never said.

Here's the latest example. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate's second-highest-ranking Democrat, who infamously compared our guards at Gitmo to Nazis, posted this on his Facebook page over the weekend:
"Many Republicans searching for something to say in defense of the disastrous shutdown strategy will say President Obama just doesn't try hard enough to communicate with Republicans. But in a 'negotiation' meeting with the president, one GOP House Leader told the president: 'I cannot even stand to look at you.' What are the chances of an honest conversation with someone who has just said something so disrespectful?"The public is being told over and over again that House Republicans are dominated by the Tea Party movement, which is dominated by racists. Now Durbin claims that one GOP House leader is so racist he can't even stand to look at Obama.

Desperate for a top GOP scalp, the White House press corps pummeled Press Secretary Jay Carney yesterday demanding to know who the offending congressman was. Alas, Carney had to disappoint them. He told the muckrakers that the incident never happened.

Nevertheless, Durbin is sticking by that lie and the post has not been removed from his Facebook page.

The Huffington Post said the story came from Harry Reid, who said he got it from a White House aide. You'll recall that Harry Reid repeatedly claimed last year that "an extremely credible source" told him that Mitt Romney had not paid any taxes for ten years. That also turned out be false.

And that's all you need to know about the state of political discourse in Obama's Washington.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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Tags: Million, lose current healthcare policies, healthcare, Obamacare, liberals, Moral Relativism, The Left, desperation, lies, disrespect of American people, Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

ObamaCare Train Wreck

U.S. Senator Max Baucus, one of the geniuses who perpetrated the ObamaCare disaster on America, just woke up and smelled the coffee. “I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-MT, told Obama’s health care chief during a routine budget hearing that suddenly turned tense. ~ John Hayward, Human Events

By William Warren

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Tags: Max Baucus, Montana, big train wreck, Obamacare, skyrocketing cost, free stuff, America, editorial cartoon, William Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Dems Freak Out!

Democrats Are Freaking Out Over Pending Implementation Of Obamacare

"Democrats in both houses of Congress said some members of their party were getting nervous…" (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)

Senate Dem: ‘I Just See A Huge Train Wreck Coming Down’

“Democratic senators, at a caucus meeting with White House officials, expressed concerns on Thursday about how the Obama administration was carrying out the health care law they adopted three years ago.” (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)

• SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): “…said he told White House officials on Thursday that he was concerned about big rate increases being sought by the largest health insurer in his state.” (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)
• SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): “We are hearing from a lot of small businesses in New Hampshire that do not know how to comply with the law..." (“Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” New York Times, 4/26/13)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): ‘I just see a huge train wreck coming down,’ ‘People are going to be really confused,’ ‘you've hired a contractor… that's going to be money down the drain’ “I'm a bit Johnny One-Note on implementation of the law, especially with respect to signups and exchanges, et cetera, and am very concerned not enough is being done so far. Very concerned. … I understand you've hired a contractor. I'm just worried that that's going to be money down the drain because contractors like to make money more than they do like to do anything else. That's their job. They've got to worry about their shareholders and whatnot. And also, all the other agencies are all involved. People are going to be really confused. And maybe give some thought to one-stop shopping somehow, so you go to one location -- a business person -- one location, get the answers. I just tell you, I just see a huge train wreck coming down.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/17/13)

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV): “I'm of the belief that the ACA is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by United States Congress… it worries me, because it is so complicated. And if it isn't done right the first time, it'll just simply get worse.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/19/13)

“…House Democrats have raised concerns in a closed-door meeting with HHS’s Mike Hash that the administration needs to step up its efforts to get the public informed about the health law, according to sources who were in the room.” (“House Democrats Voice Health Law Implementation Concerns To HHS,” Politico Pro, 4/26/13)

• REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D-TX): “It’s a big task and I’m concerned about it…” (“House Democrats Voice Health Law Implementation Concerns To HHS,” Politico Pro, 4/26/13)

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Tags: Democrats, Freaking Out, Pending Implementation, Obamacare To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - August 25. 2009 - The Major Pending National Train Wreck

Congress is still in recess until September 8th which is six days before the promised deadline set by Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid for voting on pending national health care (or its new euphemism - Insurance Reform). Can we afford for Congress to even return to the abused halls of Congress? Last week in the Friday afternoon news announcements, was the hint that the federal budget deficit over the next decade would be $2 trillion larger than previously estimated. The new projection by the GOA announced today was a cumulative 2010-2019 deficit of $9 trillion instead of the $7 trillion previously estimated. The excuse: slumping revenues. Of course they couldn't admit the enormous federal spending above mandated needs like the military, social security, etc. So what about TARP and the Stimulus and Auto bailout?

Well, they are arguing that the projected estimates for this year’s deficit may be $250 billion too high, because of money budgeted for TARP that wasn’t used. So instead of a $1.84 trillion deficit this year, the government may "only" have an additional $1.6 trillion shortfall. BIG DEAL! Consider this fact, a $1.6 trillion is more than 3.5 times last year’s record deficit of $455 billion. And the overall deficit of $9 trillion is 19.8 times, say 20 times, more than last years record deficit!

Even Democrats in Congress said that whatever health care bill emerges this fall will have to cost less than the $1 trillion price tag contemplated earlier this year. "It’s going to have to be significantly less than what we’ve heard talked about," Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. . . . said on CBS’ Face the Nation. "We’ve got to have the deficit reduced as a result of this effort. That is absolutely imperative." Unfortunately, none of the health care bills currently being considered in Congress actually do that. According to a Reuters, budget experts agree that these numbers don’t bode well for Democrats’ health care plans. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky) made the following statement today:

The alarm bells on our nation’s fiscal condition have now become a siren. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports the deficit for this year alone is already nearly as high as the last five years—combined—and is only getting bigger. And, if anyone had any doubts that this burden on future generations is unsustainable, they’re gone. Spending, borrowing and debt are out of control. Even the President’s own advisors acknowledge that the deficit in the coming years will be trillions more than projected just a few months ago.

The massive national debt threatens long term fiscal health as a nation, our national security and our ability to meet our commitments to seniors, veterans and working families. There are two immediate steps we should take. We should review the trillion dollars in borrowed stimulus money with an eye towards applying it to paying off the federal credit card. And we must take the bipartisan step of reforming entitlements to strengthen the fiscal state of our existing commitments.

Again, that is $9,000,000,000,000 deficit spending? This is the spending above the spending that is covered by revenue. Imagine what the total government spending over this period of time will be? Maybe all the local Pork is not worth what we are doing to our country and our children. And Obama wants another trillion for nationalized health care to be covered by what he claims is "savings and more taxes. Where is the sanity? - Can anyone say NO!

Now, how does the Obama administration take the focus off this deficit? It feeds the media another story. Right on schedule, the Obama administration delivers the diversion. Attorney General Eric Holder announces the a special prosecutor to investigate the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation tactics. Holder is going to investigate the people who have kept us safe from the terrorists that have and are attacking America, while the Obama administration masks the attack on America via wasteful and unneeded spending domestically and overseas. Where is the sanity? - It appears there is NONE!

Criticizing Attorney General Eric Holder for saying back in April that “[I]t would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department,” the Wall Street Journal editors write, "Mr. Holder had it right the first time. His about-face yesterday, compounded by his release of a 2004 internal CIA report on that agency’s handling of terrorists, opens a political war that President Obama, the CIA and above all the country will live to regret."

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rightly points out: "We must remain mindful that we still are very much a nation at war with terrorists who spend every hour of their day planning how to hurt America and Americans. That’s why reports that the Department of Justice has directed a special prosecutor to investigate the men and women tasked with keeping America safe is such a poor and misguided decision. . . . [T]he administration risks chilling our defense and intelligence community’s ability to protect us from future terrorist attacks by reopening this matter." Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Kit Bond (R-MO) said, "With a criminal investigation hanging over the Agency’s head, every CIA terror fighter will be in CYA mode. With things heating up in Afghanistan and Iraq, this looking back and unwarranted ‘redo’ of prior Justice Department decisions couldn’t come at a worse time for the safety of our troops in harm’s way and our nation."

Beyond the fact that it’s simply a bad idea to reopen this can of worms, the appointment of a special prosecutor means this investigation could go way beyond its stated scope. According to the LA Times, "Unfortunately, the pressure . . . to indict someone will be overwhelming," said Mark Lowenthal, a former senior CIA official. "That will produce ‘two simultaneous unappealing outcomes," he said. "Half the population will think it is a whitewash and the right people weren’t indicted. And half the population will think it is a lynch mob." "If the White House thinks they can control this," Lowenthal said, "they aren’t nearly as smart as I think they are."

In a letter to Holder, Sens. Kit Bond, Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions, and other GOP senators similarly warned "there is a real risk that [this] announcement portends a long, arduous, and unpredictable process for the intelligence community." The Wall Street Journal agrees, noting that "special prosecutions, once unleashed, have often been impossible to control." The LA Times writes, "At a time when health care and other signature initiatives are in trouble on Capitol Hill and President Obama’s approval ratings are slipping, he now faces the prospect of a long, distracting probe into policies of the Bush administration . . . ." Even Democrat strategist James Carville agrees, saying on CNN yesterday, "This is terrible politics for the Obama administration and the Democrats. . . . The country – like – really doesn’t want this." For an administration that claimed it wanted to look ahead and focus on priorities such as health care and the economy, refighting battles over CIA interrogations that only the far left appears interested is at best a distraction.

Remember this phrase; "Bait and Switch." The Obama Administration appears to be presenting a distraction to refocus the public away from the major pending problem - a national train wreck. It's an old con game that a former community organizer would know how to play. Government used to warn us that they wouldn't be able pay for social security and medicare in the future. Yet, they are now running up a cumulative 2010-2019 deficit of $9 trillion and expect us to accept it. Make's you wonder why? Not being conspiratorial - is this a nationally orchestrated train wreck or is Congress and the Obama Administration really that stupid?

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Tags: CIA, Eric Holder, Kit Bond, National Debt, Obama administration, special prosecutor, train wreck, US Congress, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Sebelius Resigns, But Obamacare's Failures Remain

Because Mr. Obama Won't
Take the Responsibility!

Today In Washington, D.C. - April 11, 2014 :
“Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, is resigning, ending a stormy five-year tenure marred by the disastrous rollout of President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act. . . . The departure comes as the Obama administration tries to move beyond its early stumbles in carrying out the law, convince a still-skeptical public of its lasting benefits, and help Democratic incumbents, who face blistering attack ads after supporting the legislation, survive the midterm elections this fall." ~ The New York Times

“Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, is resigning, ending a stormy five-year tenure marred by the disastrous rollout of President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act. . . . The departure comes as the Obama administration tries to move beyond its early stumbles in carrying out the law, convince a still-skeptical public of its lasting benefits, and help Democratic incumbents, who face blistering attack ads after supporting the legislation, survive the midterm elections this fall.  ~ Politico

The Senate will reconvene at 4 PM today. It’s expected that a unanimous consent agreement will be offered to postpone until April 28th votes on the nomination of Michelle Friedland to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 9th Circuit and the controversial nomination of David Weil to be the administrator of the wage and hour division at the Department of Labor.

The House is not in session today.   They will return at 2 PM on April 28, 2014.
Yesterday the House passed:
H. Con. Res. 96 — "Establishing the budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2015 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2016 through 2024" by a vote of 219-205 - 219 Republicans for the budget plan and 193 Democrats voted against the plan.   Twelve Republicans also voted against the Ryan measure because the didn't believe it was not conservative enough.
S. 2195 (unanimous consent) — "To deny admission to the United States to any representative to the United Nations who has engaged in espionage activities against the United States, poses a threat to United States national security interests, or has engaged in a terrorist activity against the United States."

Back to Seblius' departure:
Unfortunately Secretary Sebelius’ departure won’t mean the well documented and continuing failures of Obamacare will depart with her. Americans are still experiencing higher premiums and higher deductibles, “bureaucratic nightmares,” Medicare cuts, the inability to access doctors and hospitals of their choice, and canceled insurance plans. All of these, of course, show that Obamacare remains the “train wreck” former Senator and Obamacare architect Max Baucus described a year ago, but they also show that this law continues to break the explicit promises made by President Obama and Democrats that “all this is going to lower premiums,” and that “if you have health insurance and you like it, and you have a doctor that you like, then you can keep it.”

And as has been the case for years, Americans continue to disapprove of Obamacare. A USA Today/Pew poll earlier this week found Americans disapproving by 50%-37%, and today a new Gallup poll confirms, “Americans' views on the broader healthcare law remain more negative than positive. Currently, 43% approve and 54% disapprove of the law . . . .”

In his statement on Sebelius’ resignation, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “It’s fitting that nearly one year after the primary legislative architect of Obamacare predicted it would be a train wreck that the government official most responsible for overseeing it reportedly is resigning.  Regardless of the administration’s public explanation for the Secretary’s exit, Obamacare has been a rolling disaster and her resignation is cold comfort to the millions of Americans who were deceived about what it would mean for them and their families. Countless Americans have unexpectedly been forced out of the plans they had and liked, are now shouldering dramatically higher premiums, and can no longer use the doctors and hospitals they choose. Beyond that, virtually everyone who has come into contact with this law has had new reason to worry about what it means for the government to control their health care. Secretary Sebelius may be leaving, but the problems with this law and the impact it’s having on our constituents aren’t. Obamacare has to go, too.”

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Tags: HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, resigns, Obamacare, Train Wreck To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

NYT: Obama Admin Announces Another Obamacare Delay - This Time To Consumer Cost Protection

The Train Wreck Continues

The New York Times reports today, “In another setback for President Obama’s health care initiative, the administration has delayed until 2015 a significant consumer protection in the law that limits how much people may have to spend on their own health care. The limit on out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-payments, was not supposed to exceed $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But under a little-noticed ruling, federal officials have granted a one-year grace period to some insurers, allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014. The grace period has been outlined on the Labor Department’s Web site since February, but was obscured in a maze of legal and bureaucratic language that went largely unnoticed. When asked in recent days about the language — which appeared as an answer to one of 137 ‘frequently asked questions about Affordable Care Act implementation’ — department officials confirmed the policy.”

The Times notes, “The health law, signed more than three years ago by Mr. Obama, clearly established a single overall limit on out-of-pocket costs for each individual or family. But federal officials said that many insurers and employers needed more time to comply because they used separate companies to help administer major medical coverage and drug benefits, with separate limits on out-of-pocket costs. In many cases, the companies have separate computer systems that cannot communicate with one another.”

Once again, the mandates, regulations, and complexities of Obamacare that Democrats blithely dismissed concerns about have combined to prevent the law from working as they and the president promised. Indeed, as the NYT points out, “In promoting his health care plan in 2009, Mr. Obama cited the limit on out-of-pocket costs as one of its chief virtues. ‘We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick,’ Mr. Obama told a joint session of Congress in September 2009.”

The Times adds, “Last month the White House announced a one-year delay in enforcement of another major provision of the law, which requires larger employers to offer health coverage to full-time employees. Valerie Jarrett, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, said that the delay of the employer mandate showed ‘we are listening’ to businesses, which had complained about the complexity of federal reporting requirements. Although the two delays are unrelated, together they underscore the difficulties the Obama administration is facing as it rolls out the health care law.”

And since the administration is being forced by the poor design of this unpopular law to delay parts of it, there’s another delay the administration should consider to protect Americans.

Yesterday, in a letter to Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell asked the administration to delay Obamacare’s mandates forcing Americans onto the health care exchanges since their personal data may not be safe.

Quoting from McConnell's letter: "I write to express my deep concern about reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has missed multiple deadlines for assuring the security of the Federal Services Data Hub.  Americans should not be forced to enter into exchanges when CMS is so ill-prepared to guarantee the protection of personal data and taxpayer resources from hackers and cyber criminals who would use this sensitive data for personal gain.

"As you know, I oppose Obamacare and support its full repeal. Yet in recent months, even some of the Administration’s closest allies have raised alarms about the potential implementation “train wreck” to come. While I believe we ought to repeal this law and replace it with commonsense reforms that lower cost, Americans ought to be assured, at an absolute minimum, that their personal and financial data will be safe from data thieves.

"HHS’ recent track record does not inspire much confidence. . . . Given the compressed timeframe between the conclusion of system testing and the scheduled opening of the exchanges, I am asking you to delay opening the exchanges until the Inspector General can guarantee the security of the exchanges. . . . I request that you assure the public that your Chief Information Officer will not be pressured to certify the system’s readiness by signing the Security Decision Authorization until it is secure.” [Full Letter].

The real solution to this constant "train wreck" is to get the government out of our personal lives and to Repeal Obamacare.

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Tags: Obama administration, Obamacare Delay,  reduces consumer protection, insurance companies, higher cost to consumers, national health care, Obamacare, U.S. Senate, Senate Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell, delay opening, Obamacare, Health Exchanges, security, personal data To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!