We Don’t Like Obamacare, and We Don’t Have to Keep It

National Review ^ | 8-14-15 | Scott Walker

[afraidfortherepublic]

Let’s be honest. Obamacare was nothing more than a bait and switch. But Americans never took the bait.

In 2010, as President Obama and his fellow Democrats were trying desperately to ram Obamacare down our throats, they made one false claim after another. They told us health-care premiums would go down. They insisted if you liked your health-care plan you could keep it. They guaranteed Obamacare wouldn’t include any tax increases for the middle class.

Americans didn’t buy these lofty promises then, and they certainly don’t now, given that each and every one of them has been broken. Five years after Democrats forced Obamacare on the nation, Americans still don’t support it.

We don’t like the president’s health-care plan, and we don’t want to keep it. Therefore, we must pull this dysfunctional and destructive law out by the roots. We must repeal Obamacare in its entirety as soon as possible. But we can’t stop there. The president’s policies must be replaced with a plan that will send power back to the people and the states, fix the decades-old problems of rising medical-care and health-insurance costs, and support economic growth instead of punishing workers and small businesses. We must do all of this while ensuring affordable coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, and removing the fear that something as simple as changing jobs could result in loss of coverage.

Next week, I will release a plan to replace Obamacare that accomplishes all of these goals, and addresses the following problems with the law: Too Much Government Interference: The primary reason Obamacare is such a disaster is because it’s built on the flawed premise that Washington bureaucrats are in a better position than Americans are to make decisions about their own health care.

Obamacare took away people’s ability to choose the health-care plan that best fits their needs. It robbed states of the ability to respond to and protect the needs of their consumers, and it taxed and regulated innovation out of the health-care industry. My plan to replace this flawed law will put patients and doctors back in charge of health-care decisions, as they should be, spurring innovation in the process.

Fewer Options: Under Obamacare, millions of Americans lost their health-care coverage and are no longer able to see their preferred doctor or nurse. One analysis shows there are 42 percent fewer oncologists and cardiologists and 32 percent fewer primary-care doctors under Obamacare plans. My plan will result in more health-care options that fit the needs of patients.

Higher Coverage Costs: The Heritage Foundation has found that, from 2014 to 2015, average premiums in Ohio increased by approximately 11 percent. In Louisiana, premiums for young people increased by about 17 percent, and families in Kansas saw an increase of almost 14 percent. And we expect to see even higher premium increases in 2016 and beyond. Rather than out-of-control premium increases, my plan will actually make health care more affordable for everyone.

Mandates that Harm Workers, Businesses, and the Economy: Obamacare’s heavy-handed mandates have been a wet blanket on our country’s economic recovery, punishing workers and businesses. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that the law will reduce participation in the labor force by more than 2 million full-time-equivalent workers. Furthermore, in recent years, hundreds of thousands of workers may have seen their hours cut thanks to Obamacare’s destructive incentives. The most recent jobs report underscores the unfortunate reality that 6.3 million people who would prefer to be working full-time jobs are stuck in part-time jobs because their hours have been cut or they are unable to find a full-time job. My plan won’t use arbitrary federal rules to punish businesses and employees.

Unsustainable Spending: Every American should have access to their choice of affordable health insurance. But we can accomplish this without saddling taxpayers with a bill of nearly $2 trillion, which is what Obamacare costs.

In 2009, before Obamacare became law, public polls showed that 80 percent of Americans were satisfied with the quality of their medical care. Despite this fact, Democrats did what they always do. They decided to use hard-earned taxpayer dollars to create a massive new federal program. My plan will streamline government and lower the burden on taxpayers, so they can keep more of their hard-earned money.

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: Big-government programs like Obamacare are breeding grounds for waste, fraud, and abuse. Democrats in Washington have already squandered over $1 billion in grants to states for the creation of Obamacare exchanges that have been abandoned because they are unsustainable and unworkable. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office found it was easy to falsify information and fraudulently obtain subsidized coverage under Obamacare. My plan will be market- not government-driven, maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste.

Expanding health-care access and ensuring Americans with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage are laudable goals. But Obamacare was the wrong approach to accomplishing them. It’s brought pain and problems to families, patients, and doctors as well as to small businesses and their employees. There is a better way.

That is why I will soon be releasing a plan to reverse every single destructive Obamacare policy and make health care more affordable and accessible for Americans across the country. Stay tuned.

— Scott Walker is the governor of Wisconsin.

[headstamp 2]

Scott, you’ll have to talk to the fellow RINOs in your party about it.

Apparently, they are fine with it.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Scott Walker talks to National Review on his plan to replace Obamacare with a plan that works..

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.

[FreeAtlanta]

We need to start calling it Democratcare or RINOcare.

We need to hang this albatross around their necks.

[ecomcon]

All well and good, except for the fact that I’ve heard this line from Republicans for 30 years, and government keeps growing, year in, year out, Republican or Democrat, no matter what.

[grania]

The only plan I want to hear is drop the mandate. Anything else, about improving a forced program is “lesser of two evils” mentality.

[TADSLOS]

Scott, you’ll have to talk to the fellow RINOs in your party about it.

Apparently, they are fine with it.

Walker already has. He's reading their script.

[MrEdd]

Obamacare doesn’t need to be replaced.
Only repealed.

[albie]

Somebody was fine with it. They voted the Kenyan in for a 2nd term.

[Buckeye McFrog]

GOP gonna stand up to the media coverage of millions of Medicaid recipients losing their coverage?

Of 26 year-olds losing it?

People who suddenly have pre-existing conditions again?

Didn’t think so.

[Mr. K]

The reasons health care costs were rising so fast before obamacare were STILL all because of government regulations.

As soon as they made it a tax deductable ‘benefit’ your boss could give you, it took the cost awareness out of your pocket.

You shop around for cheap auto insurance and homeowner and life insurance, but you don’t shop for health insurance - you get it from your boss.

And the ‘co-pay’s were another bad idea. No matter where you shop, you pay the same co-pay. So the local drug store can charge $100 for the same drug the guy down the street sells for $50 and you don’t care, you only pay the same co-pay, no matter what.

Get the government out of it. Relive businesses of having to have an entire HR department dedicated to your health, instead of their normal business. Let people buy wherever they want- what difference does it make if I buy it from a company based in NY or NH?

Get the government out of it and let the free market do its work and it will sort itself out. (eventually)

[afraidfortherepublic]

Scott Walker is a different kind of Republican. He actually does what he says he’ll do, with great success. Look at his record with the unions, healthcare insurance costs; size of state government, balanced budget, defunding Planned Parenthood, & reducing scope of the DNR.

[billyboy15]

Walker specifically mention coverage of pre existing conditions would be part of his plan. And there plenty of parents who don’t want to pay for their grown childrens health insurance.

[SoothingDave]

And the ‘co-pay’s were another bad idea. No matter where you shop, you pay the same co-pay. So the local drug store can charge $100 for the same drug the guy down the street sells for $50 and you don’t care, you only pay the same co-pay, no matter what.

Uh, no.

Insurance companies negotiate rates with various pharmacies. I highly doubt the actual amount paid by the insurance company varies that much, whether you use Walmart or Walgreens pharmacy.

Co-pays are an alternative to paying nothing and having insurance pay the bill for everything. The intention is to limit unnecessary expenses by making the user have some skin in the game. If my insurance merely covers ER visits, I go when I have a sniffle. If it costs me a co-pay, I may choose otherwise.

Now, whether it is "insurance" to pay for routine medical expenses and medicines is another question entirely. The only way to contain costs is to get away from 3rd party payment and let the market function. Return "insurance" to its proper role of paying for unexpected events.

[originalbuckeye]

And stop making EVERYONE carry maternity care and pediatric dentistry in their health plans.

[chrisser]

Now, whether it is "insurance" to pay for routine medical expenses and medicines is another question entirely.

This is my strongest feeling on the whole insurance issue. Words mean things. We need insurance to be what insurance is - coverage for unexpected catastrophic events.

I would prefer to pay my physician for routine visits in cash and then have a plan to cover things like ER visits, catastrophic illness, etc. should I need it. The same way I pay for my own tires and wipers, but if my car gets in a wreck, then insurance kicks in.

If people want to participate in some sort of "routine medical services payment club" or "prescription drug payment club", whether through their employer, their social group, or even as a family, then lets keep that separate from insurance both in terminology and in legislation.

That's not saying it can't or shouldn't be bundled with an insurance product, but too often these separate products/services are spoken of interchangeably when they really aren't nor shouldn't be, IMHO.

[M1911A1]

Hey, Walker is different. Just because he’s supported by the GOPe machine doesn’t mean he’s GOPe. I mean hey, he did conservative things in Wisconsin like battle the Unions, and that flies in the face of the interests of the Chamber of Commerce types who pull the strings of the GOPe.

Yeah, right.

Just pull the “R” lever you are given, it’ll be different this time. Trust them.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Get the government out of it and let the free market do its work and it will sort itself out. (eventually)”

I couldn’t agree with you more. I greatly APPRECIATE the health insurance my employer provides for me, BUT we’ve changed providers 2x in the past 5 years to comply with 0bamacare and for them to save $ at the Corporate level.

It’s been a mess, AND they took away my FlexPlan, which was a VERY generous benefit form my employer. That’s $1,300.00 I’ve been OUT each year for OTC meds, dental care and glasses, for the past 5 years, too. $6,500.00 LOST to me - and don’t kid yourself - they didn’t give that BACK to me in a pay raise! So, I run around with 5-year old glasses and get my teeth cleaned 2x a year, instead of the 3x my dental tech would prefer.

Yep. It’s been a costly mess to those of us down here in the trenches. Government pretty much ruins everything it, ‘fixes.’ *Rolleyes*

[Diana in Wisconsin]

De-fund it. Repeal it. And you get my vote. :)

[Dr. Sivana]

All well and good, except for the fact that I’ve heard this line from Republicans for 30 years, and government keeps growing, year in, year out, Republican or Democrat, no matter what.

WIsconsin state government has shrunk under Walker. The federal issues aren't his doing.