Congress’s “Gift” to Obamacare
Yesterday was the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) sixth anniversary. Better known as Obamacare, the law’s popularity since inception has never been above 50 percent according to RealClear Politics’ (RCP) polling data. The RCP poll running average shows ACA reached its highest popularity rating with 44.2 percent of voters in July 2015, while its highest negative reached 57.1 percent in December 2013, which was during the law’s first open season. As of today, Obamacare is only popular with 36.7 percent of voters, the second lowest rating since it became law, while its unpopularity is at 49.3 percent. No wonder Obamacare continues to be a campaign issue for the 2016 election.
It is unpopular because it is an out-of-control Washington-created Leviathan and Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has written copious Swine Line blog posts and WasteWatcher’s on the damage it causes to our healthcare system and economy. By now most American’s are familiar with Obamacare’s meme: the president lied when he promised “you can keep your healthcare plan;” premiums are higher than they were before, not lower; billions of dollars have been wasted due to failing CO-OPs, people using false information so they can receive taxpayer-funded subsidies or sign-up for Medicaid; and the administration has bypassed Congress, illegally changing the law numerous times, to keep it from collapsing.
Recently, Congress was able to prevent the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees Obamacare, from unlawfully using Treasury funds to bail out insurers under the Risk Corridor provision, a risk sharing and mitigation program contained in the law. This issue was discussed in the December 2015 WasteWatcher, “The Other Three R’s.” At the time, however, CAGW warned taxpayers “insurers are desperate for a bailout and this administration is known for ignoring Congress and the law so taxpayers must remain vigilant.”
And sure enough, CMS acted beyond the law’s requirement as described in CAGW’s February 2016 blog post, “Breaking the Law – Again.” This time, CMS is illegally using the Reinsurance program, another risk-mitigation provision in the law, thus providing the bailout insurers were looking for and one that will cost taxpayers $3.5 billion.
Congress’s “gift” for Obamacare’s sixth birthday was to warn CMS to “cease all illegal payments consistent with the law and submit them to the Treasury without delay.” You can read the letter from House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) here. Any bets CMS will comply?
