Republican Policy Committee – Democrats Own Obamacare: Republicans Are Working to Repair the Damage

Democrats Own Obamacare

Republicans are working to repair the damage

Democrat Charge

Once repealed, Republicans will own Obamacare.

Response

* That's what the Democrats wish people would believe, but Americans know better.

* Democrats own Obamacare and the damage it has done. Not a single Republican voted for the law, and we have used every opportunity to try to undo its damage and provide relief to Americans suffering under Obamacare. Now we finally can.

* Because of Obamacare, the health insurance markets in this country are badly damaged. They've gotten worse each year, and they're now near collapse.

* It took six years for health insurance markets to get this bad, and it will take time for them to be restored.

* The next few years in health care will be challenging whether Obamacare is repealed or not. If Obamacare isn't repealed, it will be even longer before Americans have access to a functioning health insurance market and the insurance plans they want.

* When it comes to health care, every second counts. We owe it to Americans who are sick or who could get sick - as well as families and businesses trying to plan for the future - to start fixing the problem now.

Democrat Charge

Twenty million people will lose insurance.

Response

*After more than six years of Obamacare, 28 million people remain uninsured.

*Of those who are insured, many still can't afford care due to sky-high deductibles. Most of the newly insured gained coverage through a broken Medicaid program.

*With Obamacare's skyrocketing premiums, people can't cover the out-of-pocket costs that come with their plans. Half of Obamacare enrollees report skipping doctor visits.

*The administration's data is wrong.

o The coverage estimates the Obama administration uses are based on its own survey data, not on calculations from enrollment data.

o Researchers who have looked at the actual data say the number was actually a little more than 14 million by the end of 2015.

o Of these 14 million, 11.8 million gained their coverage from Medicaid.

o Separate research - from Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber - shows that most of the newly enrolled beneficiaries were actually eligible for Medicaid before Obamacare. In 2014, two-thirds of new people signing up for Medicaid were brought into the program by increased advertising, not Obamacare.

o Repealing Obamacare's Medicaid expansion would cause far fewer people to lose coverage than Democrats claim.

*Obamacare focused exclusively on coverage, while neglecting costs and care. If health insurance doesn't cover the care you need, or if you can't afford the deductibles that come with your plan, then the number of people "covered" is meaningless.

Democrat Charge

Republicans don't have a replace plan.

Response

*Republicans will never have a 2,700 page plan that increases premiums, decreases choice, hurts jobs, and raids Medicare to pay for a new entitlement. Americans have been clear that they don't want that.

*We do have plans to replace Obamacare. The wisest course is to repeal the health care law and replace it step by step with solutions that lower health care costs. For example:

o Allowing people to buy a health plan in any state that meets their needs.

o Enabling people to take their health coverage with them wherever they go.

o Expanding Health Savings Accounts.

o Returning power to states to regulate their markets and lower costs.

o Allowing small businesses to assist employees in purchasing insurance.

o Reducing junk lawsuits against doctors.

o Ensuring Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable coverage through high-risk pools or other insurance incentives.

Democrat Charge

Republicans want to repeal the 10 "essential health benefits" that must be included in every health policy sold in America.

Response

*Republicans believe that Americans ought to be able to buy insurance that best meets their family's needs, not what a distant bureaucrat tells them they need.

*The law's "essential health benefits" drive up the cost of insurance for consumers. In order to offer all of these services in every single plan, insurers raise prices, which puts insurance out of reach for many Americans.

*Requiring every insurance plan to cover the same benefits decreases choices. More people are left with coverage that doesn't meet their needs and isn't a good value for them.

*As premiums continue to rise, more healthy Americans who don't expect to use their health insurance will view Obamacare as a bad deal. They'll choose not to buy it, leaving only sicker people in the insurance pools. This will further drive up costs until they're too expensive for anyone.

Democrat Charge

The Republican plan cuts taxes used to pay for Obamacare.

Response

*Obamacare created more than a dozen new taxes on the middle class. Republicans will stop the massive tax increases on working families and small businesses.

*Some of Obamacare's most significant taxes on the middle class include:

o Individual mandate tax. A mandate that people buy government-directed health coverage, with tax penalties for those who don't. $43.3 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Employer mandate tax. A mandate that employers provide government-directed health coverage, with tax penalties for those who don't. $166.9 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Cadillac tax. A 40 percent excise tax on generous workplace health plans. $87.3 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Medical device tax. A 2.3 percent tax on sales by manufacturers of medical devices and equipment that will cost jobs and make medical care more expensive. $23.9 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Health savings taxes. Tax increases on Flexible Spending Accounts and the purchase of over-the-counter medicine, and increased tax penalties on Health Savings Accounts and Archer Medical Savings Accounts. $74.4 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Health insurance tax. An annual tax on health insurers that is passed on to consumers. $142.2 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

o Pharmaceutical tax. An annual tax on drug manufacturers that is passed on to consumers. $29.6 billion in taxes (2016-2025).

Democrat Charge

Republicans want to repeal Medicaid expansion.

Response

*Obamacare's Medicaid policies turned people who the Medicaid program was intended to help into second-tier patients. Medicaid is supposed to provide coverage for those who are disabled and blind, for the poor elderly, and for poor children and pregnant women. Washington covers an average of 57 percent of the costs of care for Medicaid's intended beneficiaries. Under Obamacare, the federal government pays 90 to 100 percent of the cost of care for able-bodied adults with income that exceeds that of the traditional recipients. The law has its priorities backward.

*In 2017, the federal match rate will begin to drop to 90 percent (where it will stay for years 2020 and beyond). This leaves states to cover the shortfall. With limited budgets, states will be forced to spend less on Medicaid's traditional recipients - those who are disabled, blind, elderly, frail, or who have fallen on temporary hard times and truly need a safety net.

*There are different needs in every state, and states know what those are better than Washington does. They should not have to ask permission before making improvements to their Medicaid program.

*Republican plans would put states in charge and make sure the most vulnerable people can be cared for.

Democrat Charge

Republicans want to take money away from Planned Parenthood.

Response

*Republicans want to make sure women have access to the health services and preventive care they need. We also need to make sure that federal tax dollars are not going to organizations that perform abortions, like Planned Parenthood.

*Republican proposals would not take the money away, they would provide the funds instead to community health centers. These are non-profit, community-directed clinics that provide comprehensive health care services in underserved areas with high levels of poverty and infant mortality.

*There are more than 9,000 CHC facilities across the country.

*In 2015, CHCs provided health care services to more than 20 million people, nearly 60 percent of whom were women. In comparison, Planned Parenthood served fewer than 3 million people in 2015.

*Though Planned Parenthood advocates claim that women receive mammograms at its facilities, none of the organization's 650-700 facilities actually offer mammograms.

*In contrast, CHCs are major providers of mammograms, especially to women who are Hispanic, African-American, Medicaid recipients, and uninsured.