“1. Did you know that . . . since Jan. 1 of this year (2011), you cannot use your flex-account at work (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) to purchase over-the-counter medicines?
2. Did you know that . . . since July 1 of last year (2010), Americans have been paying a 10 percent excise tax on all indoor tanning services?”
“The traditional gift for a first anniversary is paper, but ObamaCare isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. It’s bad medicine — for patients, doctors, hospitals and businesses. We hope the two parties will work together this year to actually improve health care, not break it even further.
But make no mistake: There’s no avoiding the necessity of repealing ObamaCare to prevent it from doing further damage, even as Congress takes up better, more workable solutions.”
“Today, liberals will argue that Obamacare is good for America’s seniors. The truth is that the few perks Medicare beneficiaries will experience under the new law are overshadowed by the negative consequences of the far-reaching, fundamental changes it makes to the program.”
“Today, the argument is that ObamaCare is good for American business. Though there are sure to be those who experience some benefit under the new law, its overall effect will be to cause great harm to job growth and the economy at large. By and large, ObamaCare will also fail to remove the obstacles that smaller employers face to provide health insurance for workers.”
“Faced with this growing criticism, supporters insist they can fix the law with more legislation and more regulation. We disagree. The problems with Obamacare cannot be fixed because they are woven into its fabric. The law is fundamentally and structurally flawed, and cannot be repaired or improved. It must be repealed and replaced. You simply can’t build a patient-centered health-care system on Obamacare’s foundation of bureaucracy and central planning.”
“The sum of evidence is clear. The controversial law takes health-care reform in the completely wrong direction toward higher costs, higher taxes, higher spending, and higher deficits. Real reform begins with repealing this monstrosity and putting federal spending on health care on a sustainable path. For the health of American patients and our economy, Congress must repeal this law and replace it with commonsense reforms that empower consumers with more choices, increased transparency, and lower costs.”
“Why would the president endorse an effort that would seemingly undermine his signature law? Because the provision would actually hasten the country’s progress toward the president’s ultimate goal: a single-payer health care system.”
“Of course, I imagine that at this point supporters are saying that the best is yet to come–that ObamaCare just hasn’t really gotten going yet. Perhaps so! But this is the one year report card, and the first-year grades are pretty underwhelming.”
“As I’ve pointed out before, fixing the law isn’t an option. Market-based health care reform simply can’t be reconciled with Obamacare, which is a massive system of central planning. We need health care reform, to be sure, but it needs to be based on personal choice and free markets.
That can’t be done until members of Congress swallow what some may find to be a bitter pill: the repeal of Obamacare. If not, next year’s diagnosis is sure to be worse.”
“Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz says the health overhaul law’s employer requirements will impose “too great” a pressure on small businesses.
Schultz supported the law as he watched his company’s health insurance tab — $250 million as of last year — surmount its coffee bill. But he told The Seattle Times in an interview published Tuesday that he’s now worried about what happens when it takes full effect in 2014.”