false

Weekly Columns

I opposed the President’s health care plan, and I’m still fighting for its repeal. In the meantime, hold onto your seats and get ready for a rocky ride.

One of the law’s lead authors, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), recently described the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as a “huge train wreck.” In mid-June, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report criticized bureaucratic delays, missed deadlines, and massive confusion across the federal government, acknowledging that “much remains to be accomplished within a relatively short amount of time.”

This law intended to make healthcare more affordable, but the opposite is happening. A recent report by the Society of Actuaries found that Arkansans can expect a 40 percent increase in private market healthcare premiums in January. Some Arkansans could see a 100 percent increase in premiums. In addition, an Associated Press story confirmed the law will make coverage unaffordable for everyone, including the very people the President seeks to help the most— low-income workers.

In addition to increased prices, we’re facing 33,000 additional pages of regulations. The last thing our health care system needs is more complexity. But if you stacked up all of the pages of Obamacare regulations, you would build a seven-foot tall tower. And thousands of pages have yet to be written.

Worse still, the law allows unsupervised, ObamaCare caseworkers unrestricted access to sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers, tax returns, and household income. With identity fraud on the rise, we cannot afford to compromise personal data, especially sensitive health information. We also don’t need ObamaCare caseworkers, or the IRS, collecting more data about ordinary Americans. Unfortunately, the qualifications and standards for these caseworkers are so low that convicted felons could meet eligibility standards and earn a taxpayer-funded salary.

All these things don’t come as a shock to me. This law was rushed through Congress with little support from the American people. This $2.2 trillion law threatens Social Security, Medicare, and our economic recovery. It is time for us to start over. We need patient-centered health care reform. Moving forward, I will continue to fight for repeal and push for commonsense reforms that make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.

Related Posts