Floor Speech of Sen. Chuck Grassley on Obamacare and Reconciliation
Delivered Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015
Several years ago, I gave a speech about Obamacare. As we begin debate, I harken back to that speech. Obamacare wasn't working then; it's not working now. Webster's Dictionary defines the word "success" as the correct or desired result of an attempt. I want to discuss the definition of the word "success" as we consider repeal of Obamacare.
On the day the bill was signed into law, President Obama said the following: QUOTE: Today we are affirming that essential truth, a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself, that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. END OF QUOTE
Such grand words for where we are today. Five years later, the success of the law that now bears his name, Obamacare, is defined in much more meager terms.
Think of all that we have been through to this point. The fight over the bill and the extreme legislative means used to pass it through Congress. The Supreme Court decision that effectively repealed half of the law's coverage. Think of all the changes made to the law through regulation to make sure Obamacare launched. The postponing of the employer mandate. The postponing of lifetime limits. Think of the impact this law has had on our economy. People losing jobs. People losing the health insurance they currently have, because if you like what you have you may NOT be able to keep it.
And let's talk about that for a moment. If you like what you have, you can keep it. This was the promise the President made to the American people on at least thirty-six separate occasions. It's a great soundbite. It's easy to say; it rolls off the tongue. It's also not true. It was never true. It was obviously not true when the law was written. It was obviously not true when the first proposed regulation came out. This is what I said on the Senate floor in September of 2010:
QUOTE: Only in the District of Columbia could you get away with telling the people if you like what you have you can keep it, and then pass regulations six months later that do just the opposite and figure that people are going to ignore it. END OF QUOTE
It's not that I have some magic crystal ball. We all knew it. The Administration certainly knew that the day would come when millions of people would receive cancellation notices.
Now, my constituents clearly know it. I heard from many Iowans who found out the hard way that the President made a bunch of pie-in-the-sky promises that he knew he couldn't keep. Constituents like this one from Perry, Iowa, who wrote to me saying:
QUOTE: My husband and I are farmers. For nine years now we have bought our own policy. To keep the cost affordable our plan is a major medical plan with a very high deductible. We recently received our letter that our plan was going away.
Effective Jan 1, 2014, it will be updated to comply with the mandates of Obamacare.
To manage the risk of much higher premiums, our insurance company is asking us to cancel our current policy and sign on at a higher rate effective Dec 1, 2013 or we could go to the government exchange.
We did not get to keep our current policy. We did not get to keep our lower rates. I now have to pay for coverage that I do not want or will never use. We are not low income that might qualify for assistance.
We are the small business owner that is trying to live the American dream. I do not believe in large government that wants to run my life. END OF QUOTE
And from a constituent living in Mason City:
QUOTE: My wife and I are both 60 years old, and have been covered by an excellent Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield policy for several years.
It is not through my employer. We selected the plan because it had the features we wanted and needed...our choice. And because we are healthy, we have a preferred premium rate.
Yesterday, we got a call from our agent explaining that since our plan is not grandfathered, it will need to be replaced at the end of 2014.
The current plan has a $5,000 deductible and the premium is $511 per month. The best option going forward for us from Wellmark would cost $955 per month (a modest 87% increase), and have at $10,000 deductible!
And because we have been diligent and responsible in saving for our upcoming retirement, we do not qualify for any taxpayer-funded subsidies. END OF QUOTE.
These are just two of the many letters, emails, and phone calls I've received from Iowans.
Several years ago, it was about losing the coverage you have. And now the issue has turned to cost. Millions of Americans face rising premiums. The impact is real and undeniable. Here's another from a constituent from Des Moines.
QUOTE: In 2013, I encountered some medical problems which caused me to retire early.
My spouse works as an adjunct instructor ... thus not qualifying for medical coverage.
In 2014, with 4 part-time jobs between us, we made $44,289 in Adjusted Gross Income.
Our Obamacare insurance cost $968 per month and after credits, we paid $478 per mo. or approximately 13% of our Adjusted Gross Income.
In 2015, our Adjusted Gross Income will be approximately the same, however our Obamacare insurance jumped to a premium of $1,028.82 and our cost to $590.12.
The insurance company touted that premiums went up less than 10%, but as you can see, my cost went up 23%!
The impact to Adjusted Gross Income went to 16%, a 23% increase.
I just received my 2016 premium estimate.
Our Adjusted Gross Income is likely to be the same.
Our gross premium is scheduled to rise 36% to nearly $1,400; our cost after the credit is jumping 63% and the impact to our Adjusted Gross Income is that 25% of our income will be spent on Health Insurance (a 56% increase!). END OF QUOTE
Thousands of Iowans have contacted me asking what can be done, now that we clearly see that what the President sold the American people was a bag of Washington's best gift-wrapped hot air. All the grandiose talk about the importance of this statute. And what we ultimately have is an optional Medicaid expansion with a glorified high risk pool and a government portal that makes the DMV look efficient.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the co-op disaster. The first co-op to fail was Iowa's CoOportunity. CoOportunity enrolled the second most beneficiaries of any co-op in America. CoOportunity knew they were in trouble because they enrolled more than 100,000 people when they were planning for less than 20,000. CoOportunity was in contact with CMS and so was the State of Iowa. CMS chose not to further fund CoOportunity and CoOportunity has since been liquidated.
American taxpayers have billions of dollars invested in these co-ops. The taxpayer only gets their money back when co-ops succeed. CMS stewardship of this program has proven that CoOportunity was not an exception, but unfortunately the rule as more and more co-ops have failed.
Americans deserve better. They voted for better. It is time to admit that Obamacare has not achieved the correct or desired result of an attempt. It has not been a success by any measure.
Unless of course you lower your standard to the point that the mere act of keeping the doors open is a success. That simply has not changed.
How sad is that for all we have been through. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to admit that massive restructuring has failed. Partisanship has failed. Perhaps it is time to sit down and consider common sense, bipartisan steps that we could take to lower cost and improve quality.
Perhaps we could enact alternative reforms aimed at solving America's biggest health-care problems. Reforms like revising the tax code to help individuals who buy their own health insurance; allowing people to purchase health coverage across state lines and form risk pools in the individual market; expanding tax-free Health Savings Accounts; making health-care price and quality information more transparent; cracking down on frivolous medical-malpractice lawsuits; using high-risk pools to insure folks with preexisting conditions; giving states more freedom to improve Medicaid; and using provider competition and consumer choice to bring down costs in Medicare, and throughout the health care delivery system.
The American people need to know that this failed program is not the only answer and we are not scaling back our aspirations. And with this vote this week, we once again demonstrate to the American people our willingness to not accept failure and aim for better.
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