“The Bowles-Simpson proposal would leave in place the entire trillion-dollar monstrosity. Indeed, many of its supposed cost-cutting recommendations would build on Obamacare’s flawed structure of government-driven cost-cutting through price controls. In particular, they would like to create what amounts to a global budget on health care, with the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) given the unilateral authority to hit budget targets with price cutting. This is exactly the opposite of what’s needed, which is cost discipline through consumer choice in a functioning marketplace.”
ObamaCare is planning to achieve significant savings in Medicare through creating Accountable Care Organizations to coordinate patient care. But these ACOs are unlikely to work because very few doctors and hospitals are equipped to set them up any time soon.
“However, on the whole, large employers
believe PPACA broadens access while failing to make any meaningful changes in the way health
care is delivered by the health care supply chain, and then places the primary burden for paying
for this broadened access on employers and employees.”
ObamaCare levies a $20 billion tax on medical device companies, which will reduce incentives for innovation and raise the cost of care. It will likely be one of the first targets for repeal.
“The health-care overhaul has taken some of the flex out of flexible spending accounts, which let workers pay medical expenses with pretax dollars. Starting in January, you’ll no longer be able to use your FSA for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor’s prescription. Experts agree that the new rules will likely discourage people from tapping their FSAs for routine purchases of aspirin, vitamins, cough medicine and other drugstore essentials.”
“Congress must repeal the new law. Congress cannot build sound market-based health care reform on the PPACA foundation, which is utterly incompatible with a health care system based on consumer choice and free markets.”
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that it will take the food service industry 14 million additional hours each year to comply with a new regulation that mandates chain restaurants and vending machine operators label the products they sell with a calorie count in a place visible to the consumer.”
“A leading House Democrat said this week that the party’s signature healthcare reform law was largely the reason the Democrats were trounced in the midterms.”
“Some Republicans may be willing to take their symbolic victory in the House and call it a day. They shouldn’t. There are many things they can do short of repeal that can begin the step-by-step dismantling of ObamaCare.”
Andy Griffith is running ads paid for the government to promote the benefits of ObamaCare for Medicare beneficiaries. “Hate to quarrel with a television legend, but we have two problems. First, there’s the curious timing of the ad. The Medicare changes don’t fully kick in until 2014, but the government spent about $3 million to run the ad in October alone, in the heart of the midterm campaign, Politico reported.”