“Tomorrow night, the President should announce that he will allow all Americans an opportunity to opt-out of his bad bill. If he did, this would be one of the best steps that he could take to help America’s economy.”
This week, President Obama will present his new jobs plan to the American people.
Back in February of 2010, then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously announced at the White House Health Summit that the President’s health care law would “create 4 million jobs—400,000 jobs almost immediately.”
Over a year and a half later, it’s clear that the President’s health care law has not created jobs or helped our economy.
Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) called on President Obama to support his legislation ( S. 1395) that will allow all Americans to opt-out of his health care law.
Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate:
“It seems like the only connection between the health care law and the job market is that America’s job creators made it clear they can’t afford the President’s new law.
“Month after month, we hear from more people in the private sector who explain that they will either have to fire people, or stop providing coverage, in order to comply with the significant expense of this health care law.
“To get around this problem in the short term, the Administration began doing something I didn’t anticipate when they began this law. They began to grant waivers from the President’s health care law.
“Since October 2010, the Obama Administration has granted over 1,500 annual benefit limit waivers.
"These waivers cover 3.4 million Americans. Over 50% of the waivers have gone to union members – supporters of the President’s bill.
“In fact, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said the law would be ‘financially impossible’ for them to comply with.
“I don’t think any job creator or American family should have to bear ‘financially impossible’ costs because of the President’s health care law.
“Now as the President prepares for his speech tomorrow night, he needs to take a hard look at his health care law.
“He needs to face the unfortunate reality that his law actually makes it harder and more expensive for job creators to hire new people. Tomorrow night, the President needs to change direction.
“Instead of giving waivers to businesses and unions, he should announce that all Americans can get a waiver from his health care law.
“The good news is that I have a bill he can support immediately. My bill will allow any individual, any American citizen, to submit a waiver application seeking relief from any or all of the health care law’s mandates.
“Waivers will be granted to individuals showing that the health care law is either increasing their health care premiums or decreasing their access to benefits.
“Tomorrow night, the President should announce that he will allow all Americans an opportunity to opt-out of his bad bill.
“If he did, this would be one of the best steps that he could take to help America’s economy.”
###