LIBRE Accountabilty Project: The President’s Apology Falls Short
LIBRE Accountabilty Project: The President's Apology Falls Short
A 'Fix' that Leaves Lower-Income Families Behind?
(Washington, D.C.) – Last night the President apologized to Americans who are losing health insurance that they like, and that they have depended on, due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare. In an attempt to reduce the political damage, the President will reportedly allow people to keep their plans only if they earn too much money to qualify for premium assistance. Under this approach, Americans with incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level (which in 2013 was $45,960 for an individual, and $94,200 for a family of four) might not keep their plans – while those who earn more would.
This is one reason more and more Americans are calling for accountability for politicians who support The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Given its many defects, elected officials are either taking steps to correct the flawed law or facing the political winds that may come as a result of continued support.
Low-income earners are not the only ones who will lose their insurance policies. Workers with generous healthcare plans may begin to lose them due to taxes imposed under the law. The Administration even estimated in 2010 that up to 93 million could wind up losing their current policies. It has also come to light that the White House insisted on going ahead with the rollout of Healthcare.gov despite warning that it could not handle more than 1,100 users.
Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:
"There is an increasingly clear message coming from Congress and the American people that the President's health care law needs more than an apology for broken promises and a 'band aid' approach. The President apologized for a broken website. Now he's apologizing because people are losing their insurance- a fact that the White House had prior knowledge would occur. Next, he will be forced to apologize for higher insurance prices, loss of preferred doctors, loss of privacy, and longer waits for care.
Enough with the apologies. This law has serious flaws. As the President said last night, people accepted the law based on his assurances. It's now clear that they were misleading. Is time to work with the growing number of Senators and Representatives who know that they will be accountable to the people for the promises they made under Obamacare."
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.