“In the midst of the legislative debate over
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA), Speaker Pelosi famously said, “We have to
pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.”
Indeed, the 112
th
Congress must find out what is in the
law before irrevocable damage is done to our care
delivery system, private health insurance, and the
federal budget deficit. Oversight hearings should begin
immediately as the Obama Administration has abused
the traditional rulemaking process to limit public
comments from key stakeholders and the American
people. We recommend the following five areas for
oversight hearings in the 112
th
Congress.”
“The healthcare reform law flunks the test of real healthcare reform. Real reform would: encourage providers to offer higher-quality care at lower costs; reduce the cost pressures that threaten to bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid; and give every American access to more options for quality insurance. To enact real healthcare reform, and help to restore fiscal balance to the nation’s budget, the next Congress should pursue substantial changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). We recommend the following five healthcare objectives for the 112th Congress.”
“During the recent health care debate I heard many people on both sides of the debate worry out loud about passing a heath care bill that did not enjoy broad support. I guess this question is no longer a theoretical one. December will be a big month when it comes to seeing some of the fallout accruing from the very partisan passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”
The Obama Administration has now granted over 200 waivers to corporations for different ObamaCare mandates so they can keep their current plans. ObamaCare is so restrictive with its new mandates that corporations will be unable to keep their current plans and will have to switch to more expensive ones. Businesses are concerned that only the larger and more politically connected firms will be exempted from the rules.
“Squads of health care experts and political pundits envisioned a Pax Obama for heath care once the political hubbub quieted down. It won’t happen. Without major steps to overhaul or repeal ObamaCare, government by waiver will become standard operating procedure to the detriment of us all.”
“Health providers dropping Medicare patients is the worst case scenario, especially in light of the flood of baby boomers set to retire and join Medicare. For now, many hospitals are preparing for revenue cuts as best they can. For Memorial Hospital, this means reducing the work force.”
“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.”
“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.”
“AARP’s endorsement helped secure passage of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Now the seniors’ lobby is telling its employees their insurance costs will rise partly as a result of the law. In an e-mail to employees, AARP says health care premiums will increase by 8 percent to 13 percent next year because of rapidly rising medical costs.”
“Until the next presidential election, the short-term tactical agenda for the new de facto majority in Congress remains mostly defund, delay, and debunk. Initiatives to reduce or cut off funding for implementation of the next round of ObamaCare need to be targeted narrowly to succeed… Trying to wind back the ObamaCare implementation clock so that it doesn’t get so dark so early is a more promising approach. Congressional appropriations riders could attach new conditions that must be met before proceeding further.”