NRSC: With Two-Year Anniversary Approaching, The Consequences Of Joe Donnelly’s Healthcare Law

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release:

When liberal U.S. Congressman Joe Donnelly voted for President Barack Obama's job-killing healthcare law he specifically promised the legislation would lower health care costs, but nearly two years later families are now paying more money for their health insurance.

FactCheck.org has found that ObamaCare has made healthcare slightly less affordable and it's causing premiums to go up - not down, as Donnelly and his fellow Democrats claimed it would.

Additionally, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that in 2011 the average healthcare premium climbed from $13,770 to $15,073, which amounts to a 9 percent increase.

As the New York Times reports:

"The cost of health insurance for many Americans this year climbed more sharply than in previous years, outstripping any growth in workers' wages and adding more uncertainty about the pace of rising medical costs. A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit research group that tracks employer-sponsored health insurance on a yearly basis, shows that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011, an increase of 9 percent over the previous year." (Reed Abelson, "U.S. Health Insurance Cost Rises Sharply, Study Finds," The New York Times , 9/27/11)

"Joe Donnelly's decision to make Barack Obama's healthcare bill the law of the land has increased the average healthcare premium by $1,300," said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Lance Trover. "With so many Hoosiers already suffering from the failed economic and energy policies of President Obama and Joe Donnelly, this is just another costly burden that Donnelly has placed on the hardworking people of Indiana."

BACKGROUND ....

Joe Donnelly Promised That Government-Run Healthcare Would Lower Healthcare Costs

"Donnelly Didn't Rule Out Support For The So-Called 'Public Option' But Said Any Bill He Would Support Would Have To Be Deficit Neutral, And Would Have To Lower Health Insurance Costs." (Scott Smith, "Donnelly Mum On Health-Care Bill: Congressman One Of Three Indiana Undecideds Friday," Kokomo Tribune, 11/7/09)

"It Would Also Improve The Health Care System In This Country By Making Coverage More Affordable For Those With Insurance And By Extending Coverage To 32 Million Americans Who Are Currently Uninsured." (Rep. Joe Donnelly, Press Release, "Congressman Donnelly Will Support Health Insurance Reform," 3/21/10)

But Since ObamaCare Has Passed Healthcare Premiums Have Skyrocketed

2011: "The health-insurance premiums employers pay rose sharply this year, with the average annual cost of family coverage passing the $15,000 mark for the first time, according to a major survey." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

* "The average annual family premium for 2011 was $15,073, up from $13,770 last year." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

* "Still, with rising costs, workers paid more, up an average of $132 a year for family coverage. Since 1999, the dollar amount workers contribute toward premiums nationally has grown 168 percent, while their wages have grown by 50 percent, according to the survey." ("Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011," Kaiser Health News , 9/27/11)

* "The cost of health insurance for many Americans this year climbed more sharply than in previous years, outstripping any growth in workers' wages and adding more uncertainty about the pace of rising medical costs." ("U.S. Health Insurance Cost Rises Sharply, Study Finds," The New York Times , 9/27/11)

"The 9% average increase in family premiums for 2011, reported in an annual poll of employers performed by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, comes despite a continued trend toward more limited use of medical services in the U.S. Last year, family premiums rose just 3%, the survey found." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

TNS MJ88-120321-3814672 StaffFurigay