Audits and investigations into the effects of ObamaCare from congressional committees, government auditors, advocacy groups, and others.
President Obama’s White House Budget Director Peter Orszag explains that the newly created Medicare Commission, or Independent Payment Advisory Board, would possess “an enormous amount of potential power,” including “statutory power” to institute proposals that wouldn’t have to be sanctioned by Congress and couldn’t even be overturned by Congress without the President’s approval.
A poll of 2,000 doctors shows that nearly 4 out of 5 are less optimistic about health care following Obamacare’s passage, and about two-thirds would consider not taking patients covered by government-run programs.
Obamacare would limit Medicare spending by cutting Medicare’s payments to providers, leading to reduced access for seniors as the supply of willing providers dwindles.
A report by the Obama administration’s Medicare Chief Actuary forecasts that, among other things, ObamaCare would fail to achieve its number-one stated goal — reducing health care costs — and would instead raise costs, which helps explain why the legislation was rushed to a midnight vote (though its major programs wouldn’t begin until 2014) and why a clear majority of Americans oppose it.
The increasing political toxicity of Britain’s not-so-aptly-named NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) is not a good omen for supporters of ObamaCare and its Independent Payments Advisory Board.
The AMA, a high-profile supporter of Obamacare, has largely been transformed from an association that looks out for — and reflects the opinions of — doctors, into a special-interest group that’s beholden to the federal government and would prefer that doctors stay silent.
The culture of Washington doesn’t like to admit mistakes and, if necessary, to correct them — and Obamacare is one giant mistake in need of correction via repeal.