Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Republicans Attack Obama For Not Implementing Health Care Reform Quickly Enough
Republicans Attack Obama For Not Implementing Health Care Reform Quickly Enough
By Igor Volsky
Republicans’ response to the Department of Treasury’s announcement that it would delay enactment of the Affordable Care Act’s employer responsibility provision has put the party in the awkward position of attacking the administration for considering the objections and concerns of the business community and not proceeding with implementation quickly enough. This comes after years of Congressional maneuvers to defund the law and repeal it.
While administration officials argue that they’re postponing the provision — which requires employers with more than 50 employees to pay a fine if they don’t offer affordable quality coverage — to allow businesses more time to comply with the law and promise to “convene employers, insurers, and experts to propose a smarter system” for 2015, Republicans caution that the decision spells disaster.
<...>
Objecting to a voluntary slowdown is unusual sentiment from men who accuse the administration of raming through a one-size-fits-all law before anyone has had a chance to read it — and it ignores the government’s past experiences with implementing complex legislation.
Consider the Bush administration’s performance in implementing the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, the law which established the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Republicans not only rammed the legislation through Congress, they ignored warnings about the complexities of the new system and installed the law without adequately educating seniors or pharmacists. What resulted was the very “train wreck” that the GOP is now predicting for Obamacare: tens of thousands of low-income seniors discovered that medications they had been taking for years were no longer covered, many went without needed prescriptions or paid high out-of pocket fees, and 36 states were forced to “provide emergency payments to frail citizens.
<...>
UPDATE
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/07/03/2253781/republicans-attack-obama-for-not-implementing-health-care-reform-quickly-enough/
By Igor Volsky
Republicans’ response to the Department of Treasury’s announcement that it would delay enactment of the Affordable Care Act’s employer responsibility provision has put the party in the awkward position of attacking the administration for considering the objections and concerns of the business community and not proceeding with implementation quickly enough. This comes after years of Congressional maneuvers to defund the law and repeal it.
While administration officials argue that they’re postponing the provision — which requires employers with more than 50 employees to pay a fine if they don’t offer affordable quality coverage — to allow businesses more time to comply with the law and promise to “convene employers, insurers, and experts to propose a smarter system” for 2015, Republicans caution that the decision spells disaster.
<...>
Objecting to a voluntary slowdown is unusual sentiment from men who accuse the administration of raming through a one-size-fits-all law before anyone has had a chance to read it — and it ignores the government’s past experiences with implementing complex legislation.
Consider the Bush administration’s performance in implementing the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, the law which established the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Republicans not only rammed the legislation through Congress, they ignored warnings about the complexities of the new system and installed the law without adequately educating seniors or pharmacists. What resulted was the very “train wreck” that the GOP is now predicting for Obamacare: tens of thousands of low-income seniors discovered that medications they had been taking for years were no longer covered, many went without needed prescriptions or paid high out-of pocket fees, and 36 states were forced to “provide emergency payments to frail citizens.
<...>
UPDATE
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has launched an investigation into the delay and is seeking information about the conversations the Department has had with businesses: “As the Treasury Department statement makes clear, the administration has been ‘engaging in a dialogue with businesses’ and is pursuing changes in the law’s implementation and requirements based on their feedback. We note that these communications and the decision-making process related to the delay of certain aspects of the law have not been disclosed publicly. The acknowledgement that a delay in the law’s implementation is needed is completely at odds with previous statements made by administration officials.”
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/07/03/2253781/republicans-attack-obama-for-not-implementing-health-care-reform-quickly-enough/
Hilarious!
Why anyone would expect this to be a flawless process is beyond me.
Krugman:
No doubt there will be problems, as there are with any large new government initiative, and in this case, we have the added complication that many Republican governors and legislators are doing all they can to sabotage reform.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022907399
Krugman: Obamacare Will Be A Debacle — For Republicans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022896115
Medicaid launched in 1966, but Arizona resisted the program until 1982.
<...>
Medicaid got a chilly reception when it launched in January 1966. It was up to the states to decide whether to participate and only six initially signed up: Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Twenty-seven followed suit later that year. Across the country, governors weighed the boon of new federal dollars — Washington would foot half of Medicaid’s bill — against the drawback of putting state money into a new program.
Nascent Medicaid programs quickly faced threats: Republican legislators in the New York introduced a bill in 1967 calling for the state to “live within its means” and repeal its Medicaid program.
<...>
Over time, however, the lure of federal dollars proved strong enough to win over resistant states. Eleven joined the program in 1967. Another wave of eight, largely Southern states came on board in 1970. Arizona proved the last holdout, not joining Medicaid until 1982.
- more -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/09/six-governors-say-they-will-opt-out-of-medicaid-how-long-will-they-hold-out/
Medicaid got a chilly reception when it launched in January 1966. It was up to the states to decide whether to participate and only six initially signed up: Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Twenty-seven followed suit later that year. Across the country, governors weighed the boon of new federal dollars — Washington would foot half of Medicaid’s bill — against the drawback of putting state money into a new program.
Nascent Medicaid programs quickly faced threats: Republican legislators in the New York introduced a bill in 1967 calling for the state to “live within its means” and repeal its Medicaid program.
<...>
Over time, however, the lure of federal dollars proved strong enough to win over resistant states. Eleven joined the program in 1967. Another wave of eight, largely Southern states came on board in 1970. Arizona proved the last holdout, not joining Medicaid until 1982.
- more -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/09/six-governors-say-they-will-opt-out-of-medicaid-how-long-will-they-hold-out/
From the WH:
First, we are cutting red tape and simplifying the reporting process. We have heard the concern that the reporting called for under the law about each worker’s access to and enrollment in health insurance requires new data collection systems and coordination. So we plan to re-vamp and simplify the reporting process. Some of this detailed reporting may be unnecessary for businesses that more than meet the minimum standards in the law. We will convene employers, insurers, and experts to propose a smarter system and, in the interim, suspend reporting for 2014.
Second, we are giving businesses more time to comply. As we make these changes, we believe we need to give employers more time to comply with the new rules. Since employer responsibility payments can only be assessed based on this new reporting, payments won’t be collected for 2014. This allows employers the time to test the new reporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to their health benefits while staying the course toward making health coverage more affordable and accessible for their workers.
Just like our effort to turn the 21 page application for health insurance into a 3 page application, we are working hard to adapt and to be flexible in employer and insurer reporting as we implement the law.
Meanwhile, here is a quick review of what small and big businesses need to know about the health law and how it will work:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/07/02/we-re-listening-businesses-about-health-care-law
Second, we are giving businesses more time to comply. As we make these changes, we believe we need to give employers more time to comply with the new rules. Since employer responsibility payments can only be assessed based on this new reporting, payments won’t be collected for 2014. This allows employers the time to test the new reporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to their health benefits while staying the course toward making health coverage more affordable and accessible for their workers.
Just like our effort to turn the 21 page application for health insurance into a 3 page application, we are working hard to adapt and to be flexible in employer and insurer reporting as we implement the law.
Meanwhile, here is a quick review of what small and big businesses need to know about the health law and how it will work:
- If you are a small business with less than 50 workers, the law’s employer shared responsibility policies does not apply to you. Instead, you will gain access to the Small Business Health Options Program that gives you the purchasing power of large businesses. In fact, you may be eligible for a tax credit that covers up to half the cost of insurance if you offer quality coverage to your employees
- If you own a business with more than 50 workers that already offers full-time workers affordable, quality coverage, you are fine – we’ll work with you to keep that coverage affordable.
- And if you are a company with more than 50 employees but choose not to offer quality affordable coverage, we have provided as much flexibility and transition time as possible for you to move to providing affordable, quality coverage to your workers.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/07/02/we-re-listening-businesses-about-health-care-law
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
