Obamacare Six Years Later

Last week marked the sixth anniversary of the president’s so-called Affordable Care Act, which served as yet another reminder that the law is not only unaffordable, it’s unfair and unworkable. But even more, Obamacare is marred by broken promises and dangerously threatens our constitutional freedoms.

Before it was signed into law in 2010, Congressional Republicans warned that President Obama’s healthcare overhaul was a case of massive government overreach that would restrict healthcare choice, jeopardize individual freedom and expand government control over personal decisions. As expected, Obamacare has proven throughout implementation to indeed cause more harm than good for the majority of the American people.

First, the federal government’s takeover of Americans’ healthcare plans has strained and damaged the economy. It has not only increased the taxpayer burden through new taxes and hidden fees, but through unfair mandates on employers, it has also inhibited job growth and even caused cuts to worker hours. Beyond Obamacare adding to the financial woes of the nation, it has also been marked with a slew of technical problems, including the disastrous launch of an unworkable enrollment website.

While some of the uninsured might be better off with the passage of Obamacare, the majority of Americans who had insurance they liked are now needlessly suffering. Despite the president’s assurances ahead of passage, the reality is that Obamacare has not made coverage more affordable or accessible. Rather, many Americans have lost previously satisfactory coverage in exchange for higher premiums and deductibles. Others have opted to not to sign up for Obamacare coverage at all and instead pay the ridiculous penalty, which has often still been lower than the combination of rising premiums and deductibles. As the Boston Globe reported last November, “Cost concerns have led tens of thousands of the newly insured to drop their Affordable Care Act plans and opt for free or discounted care at community health clinics.”

When the Department of Health & Human Services announced premiums would increase for most states using the federal health exchanges, Oklahoma was expected to be hit hardest. In fact, last November our state was projected to see the highest nationwide increase, approximately 35.7 percent, on premiums for this year.

In addition to causing outrageously high premiums and deductibles, Obamacare has threatened religious freedom by mandating employers cover birth control and contraceptives in plans offered to their employees. Especially in Oklahoma, we are familiar with the stand taken against this unconstitutional mandate by the owners of Hobby Lobby. And just last week, another case was brought before the Supreme Court by Little Sisters of the Poor, similarly pushing back on the Administration’s contraceptive mandate that violates their religious conviction.

Certainly, there were problems surrounding the nation’s healthcare system before the Obamacare. However, six years later we know that the law forced on the American people by Democrats and President Obama has not only failed to solve those problems, it has compounded them.

Republicans remain committed to offering a patient-centered alternative to help those Americans who want to have access to quality affordable coverage. In order to ensure a better future for generations to come, any alternative must protect consumers from high cost, low quality healthcare and improve rather than handicap the nation’s economic performance. Given the numerous conservative proposals already presented, I am confident that Republicans will be able to do just that. I look forward to the conversations and debate on that issue. But more importantly, I look forward to finding viable solutions to the nation’s healthcare system that benefit all Americans.