Dramatic Health Law Changes as Uninsured Reject It
Dramatic Health Law Changes as Uninsured Reject It
Costly Measure May Lead to Reduced Health Care Coverage
(Washington, D.C.) – Last night the Administration announced a series of changes in implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. These new rules are being described as an attempt to "minimize political damage" from the unpopular law. While full details are not yet available, it is reported that the millions of Americans whose plans were canceled by the ACA will be exempted from purchasing new insurance, and will be permitted to purchase narrow, catastrophic insurance plans – which may cover less than the plans they lost. No relief from ACA penalties is provided to millions of others who face higher premiums under the law.
These changes come as a series of new polls confirms that law is deeply unpopular among the American people. According to the CBS/New York Times poll, only 10 percent of uninsured people have applied for coverage, and a majority of 58 percent say they haven't even looked up information on how to apply. A similar percentage of the uninsured – 59 percent – believe that getting health insurance will "mostly hurt" financially. A plurality of Americans overall believe the health care system will be "worse than before" due to the ACA.
Additionally, with less than two weeks to go before January 1, when new policies issued under the health care law will take effect, it appears more people may have so far lost insurance than gained it. According to a Washington Post survey, 82 percent of American now say they are covered by health insurance. In March, 2010 – when the law was enacted – a full 86 percent said they were covered. Insurance industry experts also warn that the combination of policies canceled by the law, increasing costs for new policies, and issues with the Healthcare.gov website may combine to reduce the number covered overall.
Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:
"It's becoming increasingly clear that the American people have lost faith in a law that is not making health care better – and is more likely to make it worse. What are we getting for trillions of dollars in spending going forward? Why have the rules suddenly been changed – again – in a way that may lessen the damage for some, but leaves millions of others with no good options?
It is no surprise wary Americans have been showing their disapproval over this Administration's penchant to make unilateral, Band-Aid style fixes out of pure political interests. While this effort may have been well-intentioned, the results are what counts. There must be accountability for the many broken promises – and it begins with the lawmakers who continue to support this fatally-flawed scheme."
Learn more about "The Accountability Project" campaign and LIBRE's efforts to keep elected officials accountable for supporting the flawed Obamacare law that is causing families everywhere to lose their current health care plan and lose their full time jobs. They are elected to make the right decisions for the people – let's keep them accountable.
For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Judy Pino, 202-578-6424 or Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309.