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Lack of Compromise and Leadership Burdens Americans with More Debt

Lack of Compromise and Leadership Burdens Americans with More Debt

Millions will Judge the Health Care Law by the Broken Promises 

(Washington, D.C.) – Today is the day that Americans are able to purchase government health insurance through the exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The costly and controversial law has proven to be divisive, ill-advised and a burden on Americans who are already struggling in this economy. To add insult to injury, the federal government is shut down due to Washington's inability to forge a compromise on spending legislation. This morning, the Senate refused to negotiate with the House over a bill to keep the government open, delay the individual mandate to purchase insurance, and ban the special break given to Members of Congress and their staff.

With more than three years of preparation for today's launch of the Administration's top legislative priority, it would be reasonable to expect millions of Americans across the country to report positive experiences as they took advantage of the new program – but that is not the case. Instead, the government has proven that they should not be in the business of regulating health care – many people are  experiencing glitches as they attempt to enroll, and will find higher rates, fewer choices, and limited access to doctors and hospitals as the law rolls out.

Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:

"At a time when the Administration and Congress have been unable to get Americans back to work – the President is intent on implementing a law that is 'unaffordable' in every sense of the word.

As enrollment begins in the exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act, Americans will start to judge for themselves whether President Obama has delivered on his health care reform promises. He said that under his plan, no one would be forced to purchase insurance, that people would be able to keep their care if they liked it, costs would go down, and the uninsured would have access to better and cheaper policies. Today, the rubber meets the road.

The President's promise not to require people to buy insurance was broken long ago – as many will discover when they pay their taxes. Americans have also learned that they are losing work hours – or their jobs – as employers try to comply with costly ACA mandates. Insurance prices have increased, and it's becoming clear that many will lose access to doctors and hospitals whose care is not covered in the ACA exchanges.

Simply put, the President's health care law does not fix the problems of health care in America and actually burdens the national and household economies all over the country. In many cases, it makes the problems worse. It is time for the President to stop standing on the sidelines, and instead work with Congress to reopen the government, and begin to address problems with this law."

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact:  Judy Pino, 202-578-6424 or Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309, 571-257-3309.