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Nov 20 2014

Barrasso: Obamacare’s Increased Costs and Decreased Access to Care Continues to Harm Americans

“Premiums are going up, out of pocket costs are going up, hospitals are closing, doctors are having to turn away patients – all because of the President’s health care law.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about how millions of Americans are learning that their health care coverage under Obamacare will substantially increase for 2015 while access to care continues to decrease across the country.

Click play to view the video or follow this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1lTX6iVTq8&feature=youtu.be

Sep 16 2014

Barrasso: Devastating Obamacare Side Effects Continue to Hurt Americans

“I hear it from school district workers, from folks who have had their hours cut, who are having to get by with less pay because if they have their hours cut, their take-home pay goes down.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) outlined how the President’s health care law is leading to higher premiums, less access to care and lower take-home pay for people across the country.

Click play to view the video or follow this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3caFKH13E&feature=youtu.be

Sep 09 2014

Barrasso: Obamacare Continues to Get Worse

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso's speech.

“I know many Senators were back home over the last number of weeks talking to and listening to their constituents about issues on their minds. I was also at home.

“As a doctor and as a Senator, I heard from many people in my home State of Wyoming who have a lot of concerns about the health care law and the devastating side effects the law has on them.

“Over the past few weeks there have been headlines just about every day all across the country with bad news about the health care law and its impact on the American people. Just this morning the local newspaper, The Hill, has a headline: ‘Support for ObamaCare continues to fall.’

“Public approval of ObamaCare continued to sink this summer, issuing the latest warning for vulnerable Democrats who will face voters this fall after backing the law.

“It says that just 35 percent of voters now support the health care law. This is a monthly poll done by the Kaiser Health Foundation which was released yesterday.
“It says: Healthcare remains one of the most important issues in midterm elections, ranking only behind the economy and jobs as voters' top issue.

“I talk about health care repeatedly because I am a physician. I have taken care of patients for 25 years in my home State of Wyoming, and I have taken care of families from all around the State. They come to me with their concerns about the health care law.

“President Obama says the Democrats who voted for the law should, as he said, ‘forcefully defend and be proud of the law.’ Is the President proud of the ways families across America are suffering because of his health care law and the dangerous side effects people continue to face?

“Here is a headline from last Friday, September 5, front page of the Wall Street Journal. It says: ‘Hacker Breaches Part of Federal Health Site.’ A computer hacker breached the Federal health site. The article says the hacker broke into part of the healthcare.gov Web site in July--in July--and uploaded malicious software, according to Federal officials.

“The administration now admits it. It goes on to say that ‘the break-in raised concerns among Federal officials because of how easily the intruder gained access and how much damage could have occurred.’ This is a concern Republicans have warned about for a long time.

“The Obama Administration didn't do the basic things any business in America would have done to protect people and their personal information. According to this report, part of the problem in this case was that the website's developers never--and taxpayers have paid plenty to these developers--bothered to change a default password for the system.

“No one can believe it. Hackers didn't have to go around some complicated security system or break in through a back door. Oh, no. The Obama Administration official admitted to the Wall Street Journal there was a door left open--a door left open.
“The Obama Administration said that so far the hackers haven't stolen anybody's personal information that they know of. Apparently, they didn't know about this breach for weeks.

“The hacker walked in through an open door in July, and the Obama Administration didn't know anything about it until August 25.

“Healthcare.gov stores huge amounts of personal and private information about people, including their access information and their health care information, and people have a right to know the information is secure.

“Where are the Democrats on the floor of the Senate today ready to forcefully defend leaving the door open for these hackers?

“Here is another headline, September 2 New York Times: ‘Bracing for New Challenges in Year Two of Health Care Law.’

“We all remember how terrible the launch of the health care program was last fall. We remember right after the President sat down with Bill Clinton and he said: Oh, easier to use than Amazon, cheaper than your cell phone bill, and you can keep your doctor.
“America knows those things weren't true.

“We all remember the terrible launch last October. The new head of the exchange talked about what he expects it to be like this year, year two. They have had a full year now to get ready and fix the problems. Yet this Obama administration official just recently told the New York Times: ‘In some respects, it's going to be more complicated. Part of me thinks that this year is going to make last year look like the good old days.’

“America is not ready to go back to the Obama Web site good old days. That is what the Obama administration's person in charge of the health care exchange told the New York Times.

“Are the Democrats going to come to the floor and forcefully defend this kind of chaos and confusion with the health care enrollment for a second year in a row? It is another disgraceful side effect of the President's unworkable, unmanageable health care law.

“I will give one more example of what the American people are learning about how the health care law is harming them individually. Insurance companies have been releasing their preliminary rates for 2015, and in many places for many people, premiums are going up.

“According to the consulting group PricewaterhouseCoopers, premiums are going up about 8 percent on average across the country. That is not what Democrats promised when they wrote the health care law. Democrats in Washington, here in the Senate, promised the rates would go down.

“President Obama went around the country and said people would see their health care costs go down by an average of $2,500 per family per year. Nancy Pelosi went on ‘Meet the Press’ and said rates will go down for everyone. That hasn't happened.
“Premiums have gone up. Copays are up. Deductibles have gone up. Out-of-pocket costs have gone up for millions of Americans.

“As chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, one of the things I do is look around the country and try to find out how the policies that come out of Washington affect people all across the country. I have traveled over the past month and heard from many people that the President's health care law is hurting them individually and costing them more.

“One place people are really being hurt by the health care law is Alaska. Here is a headline from The Hill newspaper on Monday: ‘Alaska insurance rates set to spike.’ According to the article, Alaskans buying health insurance through the State's exchange can expect a surprise spike of more than 30 percent on average.

“Another place being hit is Iowa. PricewaterhouseCoopers says the average person in Iowa who buys health insurance through the exchange is going to pay 11.5 percent more next year in premiums. For others, premiums will be as high as 14 percent higher. Those Iowa families aren't getting a cut of $2,500 as promised by the Democrats who voted for this health care law and as the President said. What they are getting instead is an increase of 14 percent--more money out of their pockets.
“We can go round and round with individual stories. They are paying more. So it is no surprise then that today the headline in The Hill newspaper is that it is more unpopular now and continues to lose popularity. Then the impact. It is astonishing.

“I picked up today's Investor's Business Daily. The headline is ‘ObamaCare Spurs College Blues For Working Students.’ A lot of students have to work their way through college. Page 1, above the fold, ‘ObamaCare Goes To College.’

“This is because of the law, the way they define part-time work and full-time work, and full-time is defined as 30 hours.

“More than 200 colleges and universities have restricted work hours for students, for part-time faculty, or both, citing the costs of complying with the employer mandate related to the President's health care law.

“What I do is come to the floor to talk about the concerns I have for Americans who are concerned about their jobs, concerned about the economy, concerned about their opportunity to get the care they need from a doctor they choose at a lower cost.

“They see all of these issues as troublesome under the President's health care law. So I am going to continue to talk about this and the impact this has on the American family. I am going to talk about restoring people's freedom to buy insurance that works for them and their families because they know what is best for them, not the Obama administration. I am going to talk about reforms that get people the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs. I am going to talk about giving people choices, not Washington mandates.

“Republicans are going to keep offering real solutions for better health care without all of these tragic side effects.”


                                                                                  ###

Click play to view the video or follow this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVcCeaDIfg8&list=UU80PfiCAB2Fe1MFayWlR6GQ

Jun 25 2014

Barrasso Previews Obama’s Speech on the Economy

Highlights Obamacare’s harmful impact on Minnesota jobs, workers and health care.

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) previewed President Obama’s speech on the economy that he is scheduled to deliver in Minnesota on Thursday. Barrasso specifically highlights the harmful impact the President’s health care law is having on Minnesota jobs, workers and health care.

Excerpts of his remarks:

“I concur with the distinguished senator from Texas, the concerns that we have and that we share about the lives of people all across the country, their ability to earn a living. And tomorrow President Obama is planning to travel to Minnesota.

“As I come to the floor, the President is making the preparations because the President said he will spend a day in the shoes of a woman who had written him a letter about the economic challenges that she faces.

“Well I hope the President takes the time to actually talk with other people as well and spend a day in their shoes as well. Because I think there are a lot of people in Minnesota who would like to ask the President about his health care law and about some of the damaging side effects of the law.

“The Mankato Times had a story called ‘Minnesota schools to lose more than $200 million because of Obamacare.’ A state representative is quoted as saying that wasteful spending on the health care law has left many taxpayers outraged because they'll soon be making a significant impact on Minnesota schools, on the students in the state of Minnesota.

“Will the President address that? According to documents released by Minnesota's Management and Budget Office, over the next three years the total unfunded costs associated with the health care law compliance will cost school districts statewide at least $207 million. As the state representative said, this is troubling news for our schools.

“$200 million that school districts won't be able to use to hire more teachers, to improve their educational programs, an unneeded expense that he says does absolutely nothing for our students. As the state rep says in Minnesota, it is pretty sad when schools are forced to prioritize Obamacare compliance over the education of our children.

“Now the President says of the health care law, he says forcibly defend and be proud. Is that something the President is going to forcefully depend and be proud of?

“Take a look at the side effects of the health care law, so many side effects of the health care law. One of the side effects that we have been talking about is the medical device tax that Democrats included in this law. It is a destructive tax and it is hitting the people along the ground in Minnesota where the President is going to be tomorrow.

“This destructive tax impacts the livelihood of individuals. These are the people who make things like pacemakers, artificial joints, ultra sound equipment. It is a tax the President asked for, demanded, wanted as part of the health care law and that every Democrat senator in this chamber voted for, including the two Democrat senators from Minnesota where the President will be tomorrow.

“It adds up to $3 billion a year. Companies will have to make up for that lost revenue. They're going to do it through higher prices on other individuals, moving some of their construction and their distribution overseas.

“Is that what the President wanted in his health care law? Will he forcefully defend and be proud of that?

“According to a survey by an industry trade group who are the folks who actually make these medical devices, that is exactly what's happening. Device manufacturers have had to cut 14 thousand jobs because of the tax last year. They say they didn't hire another 19,000 that they planned to hire.

“That's a total of 33,000 American jobs lost because of the taxes in the President's health care law. There are more than 350 medical device firms in Minnesota, companies in Minnesota that employ people on the ground in Minnesota, citizens want to be hardworking individuals supporting more than 30,000 jobs in Minnesota since the health care law passed, the medical device industry has lost more than 1,000 of those jobs in Minnesota, where the President will be tomorrow.

“Is the President ready to stand with those individuals about the devastating side effects of his health care law?

“One of the biggest device makers in the state is called Medtronics. They just announced they are moving their headquarters to Ireland. Now, that’s not only because of the President’s health care law—not every job lost in the industry is due solely to this one tax.

“But this Obama Administration's burdensome tax policies and this terrible health care law side effects are impacting people all around the country, and specifically in this area in Minnesota.

“One of the side effects is fewer jobs for American families. The President has said that Democrats who voted for the law should forcefully defend and be proud of it. I hope someone in Minnesota will get the chance to ask the President tomorrow if he's proud of the thousands of jobs his health care law is costing the hardworking men and women who make these medical devices in this state of Minnesota.

“I hope the President will spend a day in the shoes of someone who lost their job as a medical device maker.

“You know, for a lot of people in Minnesota and around the country, they are also worried about another devastating side effect of the health care law and that's the impact on their paychecks.

“Smaller paychecks that a lot of families are getting specifically because of the health care law. Yesterday there was an article in ‘The Washington Post,’ page 2, Tuesday, June 24, ‘Businesses gear up for employer mandate.’ Sub headline: ‘Some cut workers' hours. Others struggle with costs and logistics.’

“Well, what happens if you cut hours? What happens if you're struggling with costs? Who's impacted by that? Obviously the families of the individuals who are working in those businesses.

“The article says that employers around the country have been cutting their workers' hours back to part-time status. Now, part-time in the health care law is defined as 30 hours a week.

“Most people think of a 40-hour workweek. No, not President Obama. He has a whole different view of what a full-time job is.

“But how they had to cut back to part time status in order to avoid paying for the expensive health care mandates required by the law. The article in ‘The Washington Post’ yesterday adds that seasonal employees and low wage workers, such as adjunct professors, cafeteria staffers, they have been especially hard hit.

“And it is happening in Minnesota and the President is going to be there tomorrow and he's going to say I want to walk a day with this woman and see what her life is like. He can hand select somebody who makes it look like his policies might be working.

“But there are people in Minnesota who are being harmed by the President's policies.

“In Fairbolt, Minnesota, the city has to cut hours of workers because it can't afford to pay for their insurance.

“The city of Mankato had to do the same thing cutting back most of their part-time workers to 29 hours a week to keep under the limits set by the health care law.

“In Hastings, Minnesota, the school has to limit how much their classroom aides, their food service, their transportation employees can work.

“The same thing is happening in towns and counties and businesses all over the state of Minnesota where the President will be tomorrow. They are cutting back hours, reducing the size of their paychecks. Why? Because of the health care law.

“Is the President going to spend a day in the shoes of someone who has had their hours cut back because of the health care law? Is he going to forcefully defend his law to those people when he's in Minnesota tomorrow?

“Are the two senators from Minnesota who voted for the health care law ready to forcefully defend the smaller paychecks that these people are getting?

“This isn't just happening in Minnesota. It's happening all around the country. It's not bad enough that these people are getting hit by a second time by another very expensive side effect of the health care law.

“So, smaller paychecks, now what they're seeing is higher premiums that they have to pay.

“According to a new study, people in Minnesota are paying a lot more for health insurance. Why? Because of the health care law.

“For an average 64-year-old woman in Minnesota, her premiums would have been $273 a month in 2013 before the mandates in the Obama health care law kicked in. But in 2014 buying insurance through an Obamacare exchange her premiums jumped to over $400 a month. She's paying $1,500 more this year than she did last year because of the President's health care law.

“Who's going to forcefully defend that? Who's going to come and be proud on the floor of the Senate and speak with great pride about what they have done to this woman and the effect of this health care law on her life?

“For a 27-year-old man, he would have paid an average of $95 a month in 2013. Under the Obama health care law he's now paying $140 a month, an extra $540 this year compared to last year.

“Can the senators who voted for this law be proud of these kinds of premium increases?

“The American people wanted reform that gave them access to quality, affordable care. What they're getting through President Obama, higher premiums, higher co-pays, higher deductibles.

“Republicans have offered solutions for patient centered health care, things like increasing the ability of small businesses to get together and negotiate better rates, expanding health savings accounts, allowing people to buy health insurance that works for them and their families because they know what's best for them.

“They don't need the government and President Obama to tell them that he knows better what they need in their lives than they know what they need in their lives.

“Republicans have offered ideas that would give people the care they need from a doctor they choose at a lower cost.

“The President may not want to talk about any of these things tomorrow in Minnesota and all the ways his health care law is hurting people in Minnesota and around the country. Hurting education, hurting jobs, hurting the economy and hurting the pocketbooks of the men and women around the country.

“But Republicans are going to keep coming to the floor, keep talking about the burdensome side effects, the expensive side effects and in some ways irreversible and sometimes fatal side effects as a result of this health care law and we will continue to offer real solutions for better health care without the terrible side effects that the American public continues to face as a result of the President's health care law.”

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Jun 11 2014

Barrasso: Emergency Room Visits Increase Under Obamacare

“When the emergency rooms have more patients, it involves longer wait times for those patients."

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech.
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about how the President’s health care law is causing an increase in the number of emergency room visits across the country. Barrasso points out that in 2009, President Obama claimed that “…if everybody’s got coverage, then they’re not going to the emergency room for treatment.”

 Excerpts of his remarks

“I come to the floor today to talk about some of the side effects we have been seeing from the health care law. 

“When President Obama and Democrats in Congress were selling their health care law, they made a lot of promises. One of the big ones was that the health care law would save money. 

“They said it was going to save money because people would be going to see physicians in offices for routine care instead of going to the emergency room.

“President Obama said, and I will quote, he said ‘if everybody's got coverage, then they’re not going to the emergency room for treatment.’ 

“Well, just like promises about keeping your doctor if you like your doctor, about keeping your insurance if you like your insurance, promises that the president made, it turns out that the president's claims about the emergency room care weren't true either. 

“That's, of course, what the ‘Louisville Currier Journal’ said what they have seen in the state of Kentucky. That was the headline just Monday, just a couple of days ago. 

“The headline is ‘More patients flocking to ER's under Obamacare.’ That's not what the president said, but that's the headline. The article says it wasn't supposed to work this way, but since the Affordable Care Act took effect in January, Norton Hospital has seen its packed emergency room become even more crowded, with about 100 more patients a month. 

“A 12% spike in the number of patients at the emergency room at the hospital in Louisville. Like the article said, it wasn't supposed to happen that way. 

“That's why I come to the floor to talk about the side effects of the president's health care law. There are many side effects. They are harmful. They are expensive. Some are irreversible, but they are all related to promises made to the American people by a president who I believe didn't fully understand his law and I know there are many people in this body who voted for it. I understand they never read it in the first place.

“So those are the concerns I have. Those are the concerns I hear at home in Wyoming every week and I heard them this past weekend all around the cowboy state. 

“And this emergency room situation may be just another for the president, another surprising side effect of the health care law. And they are just not seeing this, in Kentucky. 

“According to a survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians, it's happening all across the country. Their survey found that 58% of emergency room doctors say they're seeing more patients since the beginning of the year.

“A doctor in Virginia told ‘The Wall Street Journal’ that the health care law, he said, is going to stretch emergency doctors further, and that has implications on how quickly we can get people through. 

“So when the emergency rooms have more patients, it involves longer wait times for those patients. 

“It just seems that the Democrats who voted for this health care law, many without reading it, were so focused on getting people insurance coverage that they came up with a system that actually makes it harder for people to get care. 

“And it was interesting listening to the president continuing to give these speeches about coverage and ignoring the fact that people were worried about actually getting health care. 

“That's a very dangerous side effect, but it's not the only side effect of the law. There are also incredibly expensive side effects of the health care law. 

“An expensive side effect that a lot of people are starting to hear more about, as the states release information on insurance premiums for next year. Late last Friday, the state of Maryland released their rates. You could tell it was going to be bad news for people in Maryland because they snuck the numbers out late Friday afternoon. It seems that's what happens when bad news comes out. They try to get it out late Friday afternoon. 

“According to ‘The Washington Post,’ the biggest insurance company in Maryland is CareFirst, and this was then Saturday's paper, ‘Washington Post,’ metro section, Saturday, June 7. ‘CareFirst seeks hefty premium increases.’ 

“The article says Maryland's dominant insurance company, CareFirst, is proposing hefty premium increases of 23% to 30%. 23% to 30% for the consumers buying individual plans next year under the health care law. 

“The President of the United States said that the health care law was going to save families $2,500 a year by the end of his first term, so what we're seeing here, metro section, ‘Washington Post’ Saturday, CareFirst seeks hefty premium increases. 

“Maryland's dominant insurance company CareFirst proposing hefty premium increases of 23% to 30% for consumers buying individual plans next year under the federal health care law. That's a very costly side effect of the health care law. 

“Remember the health exchange where people are supposed to buy insurance, this insurance in Maryland, remember it was so broken that they had to start over again. State officials spent $118 million to set up their own exchange. 

“Now they're going to use software from Connecticut's exchange. Nobody got care for that money. That's wasted taxpayer dollars. Nobody got care. 

“Now, Connecticut may have gotten the software right, but people there are going to have to pay more for insurance, too. 

“The Washington Post’ says that the two insurance carriers in Connecticut have proposed rate increases averaging about 12%. That's the average. Some people have smaller increases, but many people will pay much more. 

“President Obama said that Democrats in Congress would forcefully defend the law and be proud of it. That's what he said they should do, forcefully defend and be proud. 

“Are there any Democrats who are ready to come down to the floor and forcefully defend these dangerous side effects of more people going to the emergency room, stretching overworked emergency room doctors even thinner, making for longer waiting times in emergency rooms? 

“Are Democrats going to come to the floor and forcefully defend and be proud of the law when they see expensive side effects like these hefty premium increases in Maryland of 23% to 30%, 12% in Connecticut?

“It didn't have to be this way. Republicans offered ways to reform America's health care system back when we were debating the law, but President Obama and Democrats in Congress didn't want to hear it. 

“We warned about some of these brutal side effects of the health care law that were going to hurt people and we talked about bipartisan ideas that could have helped maintain the access that people had to the doctor they liked. 

“That's what people wanted. They wanted the doctor that they liked. At the same time they wanted care to be more affordable. They wanted access to care, quality care, affordable care. Not empty coverage, which is what the president's provided. And also expensive coverage. 

“We're going to keep talking about things like expanding access to health savings accounts to save money for families as well as for employers. 

“I talked about that when some of us met with the president back in 2010. The president didn't want to listen. It's too bad, but it's not too late. 

“Republicans are going to keep talking about letting consumers letting consumers buy health insurance across state lines to increase competition, to let them shop for things they actually need and want and will work for their family. That could actually help bring down prices, not drive them up like the Democrats' health care law is doing. 

“These are ideas that Republicans have offered from the beginning, ways to give the American people the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs. That's all people wanted in the beginning.  Instead, they got all these harmful, hurtful, expensive side effects. 

“We know what the American people have asked for, we know what they wanted and that's what Republicans are going to continue to try to give them, not the empty promises from President Obama and Democrats who told the American people that the president and the Democrats knew better what they needed or wanted, than what the American people knew worked best for them and their families.”

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Jun 04 2014

Barrasso: Americans Face Higher Premiums Under Obamacare

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about the release of new health care numbers that confirm many Americans will face significant increases in the cost of their health premiums because of President Obama’s health care law. 

Excerpts of his remarks

“I come to the floor as the Senate begins debating the nomination of Sylvia Burwell to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. If she is confirmed for that job, she’d be responsible for implementing thousands of pages of regulations related to the president's health care law. 

“I think it’s appropriate as we consider this nomination to take a little bit of time to talk about the state of the president's health care law. 

“I visited with a number of people from Wyoming just this morning, people here from Uinta County. I will tell you what they know and what we all know, are that there are many dangerous side effects of the law like people losing access to their doctor, people getting smaller paychecks. 

“Today, I want to talk specifically about the expensive side effects that so many Americans are facing, and that’s how much health insurance premiums are rising because of the law. 

“States are starting to release the proposed premium insurance companies expect to charge next year under the Obama health care law. And the numbers are not good for the American people, for people who wanted affordable care, quality care, access to care, the kind of things that the President of the United States looked into the camera and promised them. 

“Now, Virginia was one of the first states to put out the numbers. What's happening in the state of Virginia? Every health plan sold in the state exchange expects to raise its rates next year. The state expects some people to pay as much as 17% more next year. 

“In Vermont, it's a similar story. There are two companies offering plans in the state exchange. Yesterday, we learned that one intends to raise rates 10%. The other 15% next year. 

“Last Friday, Ohio released its proposed rates for people buying insurance through the exchange. The average premium in the state's individual market is expected to be 13% higher next year than it was last year. 

“You know, according to state insurance regulators, its bad news, they say, but it's what they expected. 

“The State Lieutenant Governor said ‘continued and unnecessary headwinds out of Washington are making it more difficult for job creators, for hardworking Ohioans and their families to purchase health insurance.’

“President Obama said the Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud of the health care law. Is there a Democrat in this body, even one, who is willing to come to the floor and forcefully defend premium increases of 13%, 15%, 17% in one year alone? 

“Now, more states are going to be releasing their new premiums all summer. More people around the country are going to see these kinds of rate increases. 

“This is an alarming side effect of the president's health care law. Now that's on top of the rate increases people have already had to pay for insurance for this year. 

“It is astonishing when you look at the numbers. It's not just families buying health insurance through the exchanges who are getting slammed. 

"USA Today’ ran a headline last week that said many employees hit with higher health care premiums. The article says ‘More employees are getting hit with higher health insurance premiums and higher co-pays and many don't have the money to cover unexpected medical expenses.’ This is what a new report finds. 

“The report found that 56% of companies increased their employees' share of health care premiums, or their co-payments for doctors' visits last year after the health care law came into effect. And 59% of companies intend to do the same thing this year. 

“So people buying insurance in the exchange are being hurt. People who get insurance through work are being hurt. Small businesses are being hurt as well. 

“There was an article in ‘The Alaska Dispatch’ about this last Thursday. Now, it says Alaska's small businesses feel the pinch of rising health care costs. 

“The article tells the story of a restaurant owner with 24 employees. He wants to offer coverage, health insurance coverage. But he's paying $5,000 a month more than he paid last year for his share of the insurance. 

“He's somebody that wants to provide insurance. $5,000 more a month for his 24 employees. He says the costs are crippling and that it's like meeting another payroll every month. This small business owner says this, about the health care law, he says ‘it's killing me.’ He says, ‘I just don't know how long we can keep absorbing these costs.’ 

“These are costs put on this business owner in Alaska by every member of the United States Senate who voted for this health care law. Every one of them. 

“I'd invite any one of them to come down here to forcefully defend this law as the president requests that they do and be proud of what they've done to this small business owner. 

“Are Democrats in this Senate who voted for this health care law proud of what the law is going to this small business owner in Alaska? Are they willing to forcibly defend his having to pay an extra $5,000 a month?

“That's what people are dealing with. And there's a story just out today about North Carolina, another state where a senator has said, if you like what you have, you can keep it. A North Carolina woman, according to this story, the headline is, ‘Obamacare cripples North Carolina small business.’ 

“A North Carolina woman currently living her dream to own a salon could soon shatter and crumble, leaving her employees to pay astronomical costs for health insurance, all because of Obamacare.

“Julia Vittorio, owner of Fresh Salon for the past five years, is worried she will not be able to provide her employees with health insurance.’ She said, 'I think you just want the best for your employees'. I think that's what many people around the country want, the best for their employees.  She says, 'we're a small business, and it's very much like a family, so I care about our staff.’

“She previously offered her employees health insurance, paid part of it but has been forced to reconsider her decision because of rising costs of premiums. ‘We've been very proud,’ she said, ‘to even carry it for this long, but it certainly is a concern moving into the future if we're going to be able to keep doing it,’ she explained. 

“Veronica Cook, a hairdresser, who has worked at this Fresh Salon since it opened, she said, ‘It's frustrating and scary and you don't know what to expect.’ I think that applies to so many people as a result of the president's health care law. 

“It's frustrating, and scary, and you don't know what to expect. She is not sure what she will do if she has to pay for her own insurance. 

“That's what this devastating side effect of the president's health care law is doing to people all around the country. 

“Now, the president, he says he wants everyone to have a fair shot. Democrats say it over and over again. Is this small business owner getting a fair shot? Are the families of Ohio getting a fair shot when their premiums go up as much as 13% next year? 

“Some Democrats who voted for the health care law have come out and said that the rates may be going up, they say, but not as fast as maybe they would have been without the law. But let's take a step back. When they were trying to pass this health care law, Democrats said it would only raise premiums—no, Democrats never said it would only raise premiums by 10% to 13%. 

“No, they said it would drop premiums by $2,500 a year. That's what the president said, $2,500 per family per year, and he said by the end of his first term. 

“Well, you know, we met with the president in February of 2010 at the White House at the round table discussion. Senator Lamar Alexander, my colleague from Tennessee, asked specifically about these predictions that the premiums that we had seen, that they would go up and the president is making these promises, claims that they would go down. 

“The president denied, again to each of us in a face to face meeting that they would go up. The president said, ‘that's not just the case.’ 

“Well now what we do know it is the case, and it was the case all along. People believed the president when he promised he would save them money. They thought that Democrats were giving them this fair shot that the president talks about. 

“Now they're finding out what they got: higher premiums, higher costs, higher deductibles, higher co-pays, loss of coverage, can't keep your doctor. 

“It's hard to believe the president of the United States. This isn't what people wanted. People wanted a fair shot, but it's not what the president and Democrats in Congress actually gave them in the health care law. 

“Many of them who voted for it never read it. Nancy Pelosi said, ‘first you have to pass it before you get to find out what's in it.’ But it didn't stop the Democrats who voted for it from making those same promises, promises if you like what you have you can keep it, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, premiums will go down. 

“All of those promises, each one of them, turned out to be not true. 

“Now, a fair shot is exactly what Republicans have offered. And that is—and I can tell this as a doctor, what patients want—they want patient centered care, not government-controlled and mandated care. A patient centered approach that would solve the biggest problem that families face—access to care, cost of care, quality care. 

“That means things like allowing small businesses to pool together in order to buy insurance more cheaply for their employees. It means letting people shop for health insurance that actually works for them, works for their families, not what the president says is best for them. 

“So in closing, let me just say, there are just a couple solutions that Republicans have offered to give Americans the care they need from a doctor they need at a lower cost without the outrageous, expensive side effects of the president's health care law.”

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May 20 2014

Barrasso Highlights Millions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted During Obamacare Implementation

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about how Americans are concerned by the massive amounts of taxpayer dollars that continue to be wasted during the implementation of the President’s health care law. Barrasso specifically discusses how hundreds of thousands of people are receiving larger Obamacare subsidies than they deserve and how some Obamacare call centers are paying employees to do nothing. 

Excerpts of his remarks

“This week, President Obama told a group of campaign donors that people who still talk about his health care law, as he said, ‘Are not speaking to the real concerns’ he said, ‘that people have.’

“The President still does not seem to understand that Americans do have real concerns about his health care law. And these aren't partisan concerns, they're practical concerns. 

“And the reason Americans are worried is because the law directly impacts their personal lives, their personal health, their personal pocketbooks. 

“That's why I've come to the floor week after week to talk about some of the alarming side effects of the President's health care law. And there are many alarming side effects related to the law that people are seeing in dealing with in their everyday life. 

“I've talked about how this law has increased premiums, how it's cut paychecks for many families, how week after week more people are realizing that they're suffering as a result of the law. Not helped by the law, but suffering as victims of the President's law. 

“So today, I want to talk about another costly side effect of the law, the massive amount of taxpayer dollars that continue to be waste under the law. For example KMOV television station in St. Louis recently reported about a call center in Missouri that processes paper applications for insurance in the state exchanges. 

“Remember the applications were supposed to be handled on a website, so they shouldn't really need a call center handling their many paper applications. It doesn't seem to matter. The company got a contract for $1.2 billion. 

“According to the report, there are about 1,800 employees. What are these people doing who are taking all of this money? Turns out a lot of them aren't doing very much. 

“These are taxpayer dollars, hard earned taxpayer dollars and they're not doing very much. One employee said, ‘There are some weeks that a data entry person would not process a single application. ‘They are just sitting there looking at their computers,’ the report says some of them are playing Pictionary, playing 20 Questions, collecting paychecks—funded by the taxpayers.

“Another former employee told the Associated Press, ‘It was like stealing money from people.’ 

“And it's not just happening there in Missouri. Another TV station, KOLR, found a call center run by the same company, this one working in Arkansas. And the TV station reports the same exact thing happening in Arkansas that's happening in Missouri. 

“One employee told the station that he's been there six months and over six months getting paid, full-time work, has processed a total of 40 applications. 

“To make matters worse, we've learned of another clear way that Washington is wasting taxpayer dollars while implementing the law. 

“Over the weekend, ‘The Washington Post’ reported that the federal health care subsidies may be too high or too low for one million people. Health payouts may be wrong. Subsidies too high or too low for one million. Government flags errors, but can't fix them yet. 

“Incredible incompetence on the part of this administration. Mismanagement like people have never seen before in this country. 

“As the ‘Post’ reported, the problem means that potentially hundreds of thousands of people are receiving bigger subsidies than they deserve. These are the subsidies some people get to help pay for the insurance in the government exchanges. 

“Turns out that the computer system that Washington built to make sure it gave the right subsidies, well, guess what? It doesn't work. 

“Now, when the Healthcare.gov website crashed last fall, the Obama Administration scrambled to patch it together, duct tape it, put it all together, but according to the article behind the scenes, important aspects of the website remain defective or simply unfinished. 

“So the article goes on: ‘The government may be paying incorrect subsidies to more than one million Americans for their health plans in the new federal insurance marketplace, and has been unable so far to fix the errors.’ This is according to internal documents and three people familiar with the situation. 

“The problem means potentially hundreds of thousands of people are receiving bigger subsidies than they deserve. So the government can't fix it. Website can't be fixed. What do they do? 

“These people are sending in information, and according to this article, piles of unprocessed proof documents are sitting in a federal contractor's Kentucky office, and the government continues to pay insurance subsidies maybe too generous. 

“The inability to make certain the government is paying correct subsidies is a legacy of computer troubles that crippled last fall's launch of the Obama health care law. 

“So again, we see more waste of taxpayer dollars, more reasons for Americans to have very real concerns about the law. 

“The President of the United States just this past week told donors, not speaking to the real concerns that people have. 

“The President of the United States is wrong. The American people have real concerns about these components of the health care law. 

“Now, President Obama said to the Democrats in this very body, he said Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud of the health care law. I want to see one of the Democrats stand up and defend what I've just talked about and be proud of what I just talked about. The President says you should. Where are you right now? Not one of them, Mr. President, is here to make that defense or to stand proud about this law. 

“You know, it's hard to imagine that my colleagues can possibly be proud of this law that pays people to do nothing all day long. Can they possibly be proud of a law that awards large subsidies for people who don't qualify for them? 

“Are the Democrats who voted for this health care law ready to forcefully defend all the taxpayer dollars that continue to be wasted every day? There is no end in sight. There is no effort to stop this. 

“After all, how does that provide a fair shot for everyone?  Isn't that what the promises of the President are? He said I want a fair shot for everyone. 

“How does that actually help all this wasted money? How does that help anybody get better health care? 

“Millions and millions wasted, paying people to sit around and play computer games. Millions more on websites designed in states that have been basically looked and called, broken, dysfunctional, crippled. You name it, not working. 

“The FBI is investigating some. How does that give anybody better health care, all this wasted taxpayer dollars? 

“The people know what they wanted with health care reform. They wanted better access to quality, affordable care. 

“They want access, they want affordable care, they want choices of which they've been denied under this President's health care law, and they want quality. That's the kind of fair shot they wanted, but it's not what they got from the President's health care law. 

“Now, Republicans have offered a patient-centered approach, an approach that would solve the biggest problems families face: Access to care, cost of care, quality of care, and choice. That means things like allowing small businesses to get together, pool together in order to buy insurance more cheaply for their employees. That gives small businesses and the employees working there a fair shot. 

“It means letting people shop for health insurance that actually works for them and their families, not what President Obama says is best for them. 

“If I had to say who has the best chance of knowing what works best for a family, I’d say it's more likely the members of the family than it is President Obama and the Democrats who passed this law. 

“People deserve a fair shot at buying a plan that's best for them, best for their families. These are just a couple of the solutions that Republicans have offered to give Americans real health care reform and a real fair shot. 

“Health care reform that gives patients the care they need, from a doctor they choose, at lower costs without the ongoing harmful, expensive side effects that we're seeing every day by the President's health care law.”

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May 14 2014

Barrasso: Taxpayers Tired of Picking up Tab for Obamacare Failures

“Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay twice for the mistakes of incompetent state bureaucrats who couldn't set up a working health care exchange.”

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about how several state-run Obamacare exchanges are failing and wasting millions of taxpayer dollars in the process. Barrasso also highlighted his how bill, the State Exchange Accountability Act, will force states that have scrapped their exchanges and moved back onto the federal exchange to pay back American taxpayers. 
Excerpts of his remarks

“Mr. President, yesterday I came to the floor to address remarks made by the Majority Leader. Just yesterday, the Majority Leader came to the floor and he said that Republicans were going quiet, he said, on health care. 

“Well, Senator Reid said that Obamacare is no longer high on Republicans' radar screen. 

“Yesterday, I said that it was certainly still very high on my radar screen and that Republicans have every intention—every intention—of continuing to focus on the Democrats' health care law and all of its harmful side effects. 

“Americans all across the country have been feeling those damaging side effects of the president's health care law and the side effects are getting worse. 

“Hardworking middle-class families who didn't want this health care law in the first place are facing higher premiums, they're facing smaller paychecks, they're facing fewer jobs, fewer doctors, and many other problems as a result specifically of the president's health care law. 

“So today I want to talk about another side effect of the law and that's the millions if not billions of taxpayer dollars that have been absolutely wasted by bureaucrats who set up state health insurance exchanges that have failed. 

“Under the health care law, states could choose to set up their own exchange or to use the federal exchange. States got federal grants to help plan which one they would do. If a state then decided to set up its own exchange, it got even more money from Washington to cover the costs. 

“So how much money are we talking about? Well, according to the Congressional Research Service, the federal government awarded grants of over $4.7 billion as of this March. 

“Now, people all across the country know that the federal exchange was an absolute train wreck when it was launched. In one state after another, the state exchanges also have been collapsing and costing taxpayers a fortune. 

“Now, some of those states have absolutely just given up. They've decided that they just want to scrap their own systems and go into the federal exchange after all, an option they had at first but they decided to go first to the state exchange and now those have failed. 

“Well, what they've done is they spent a lot of taxpayer money, money that Washington sent to them. Where is the money? The money's gone. Their system doesn't work and now what they want to do is have a fresh start. 

“Well, President Obama says that Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud of the law. I want to see where the people are now coming to the floor to forcefully defend and be proud of this health care law. 

“I ask the President, is he proud that these Obamacare exchanges are failing all across the country? Are Democrats who voted for this health care law ready to forcefully defend all the taxpayer dollars that we now know have been wasted? 

“Democrats don't want to talk about the law's expensive side effects or about the Americans harmed by the law. 

“Republicans have been offering solutions. 

“Today Senator Hatch and I are introducing legislation that would address these state failures and protect taxpayers. After all, that's what Americans want. They want accountability for their hard-earned taxpayer dollars. 

“This bill, called the State Exchange Accountability Act, says that if a state got federal money to set up its own exchange and later decided to give up and move back on to the federal exchange, that it would have to pay back the money. 

“It's that simple. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay twice for the mistakes of incompetent state bureaucrats who couldn't set up a working health care exchange. 

“Now, states would have 10 years to pay back the grants. They'd have to pay them back in full and I know state budgets are tight so they wouldn't have to come up with the whole amount all at once. They'd pay back 10% of the total each year for the next 10 years. 

“These states that walk away from their exchanges are conceding that they wasted the money that they got, and it's only fair to the American taxpayers that these states should repay the American taxpayers. 

“The failure of these exchanges and the money squandered on them was a side effect of the health care law. 

“Democrats told states that they could set up these exchanges and Washington would pay the bill. So some states didn't really care what it cost. They didn't care if the work was being done well or done at all. As far as they were concerned, don't worry, it's somebody else's money whether it works or not. 

“Well, this bill that I'm introducing today tells state bureaucrats like these from these states that it's time for them to care about the money they've wasted. 

“This won't fix all the harmful side effects that Democrats created with the health care law but it's a start and it is the right thing to do. 

“If you want a sense of how big the problem is, look at an article that ran in ‘Politico’ on Monday of this week. The headline is: ‘Four states in a fix over their troubled exchanges.’ 

“The article talks about four states that basically embraced Obamacare: Massachusetts, Nevada, Maryland, Oregon. It says that these four state exchanges spent at least $474 million and are now in shambles. Look at it. Maryland, $118 million. Massachusetts, $57 million. Nevada, $51 million. Oregon, $248 million, taxpayer money from around the country, sent to Oregon for programs that are now in shambles. 

“So now these states, some of them want more money to fix what's gone wrong in the first place. According to ‘Politico,’ Maryland spent $118 million to set up its own exchange and that state officials did such a bad job that they're now planning to scrap the whole thing and use software from Connecticut's exchange. 

“Massachusetts, $57 million. ‘Politico’ calls that program in Massachusetts fatally crippled. Nevada, $51 million. ‘Politico’ says salvaging that exchange would be a huge feat. 

“Oregon, $248 million to set up its own exchange. It was such a spectacular failure that CNBC ran a headline on May 5th saying ‘FBI Probing Oregon's Obamacare exchange.’ The FBI probing the exchange. The state plans to use the federal exchange from now on, getting rid of their state exchange. 

“So that's the kind of double dipping that our bill goes after. Why should Democrats in Washington, D.C. be telling taxpayers across America that they have to pay for the failures of state officials in Massachusetts, Nevada, Maryland, Oregon and other states that may find themselves in the same situation? 

“Democrats have said and the president continues to say he wants everyone to have a fair—a fair shot. Are Americans who have to pay higher taxes because of these failed state exchanges, are they getting a fair shot? 

“Our bill will start to give a fair shot to Americans who don't want to pay twice to bail out incompetent state bureaucrats.

“It will give a fair shot to Americans who want to reclaim some of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars. 

“Now, this is just one idea, one of many ideas that Republicans have offered and will continue to offer to create a patient-centered approach to health care. 

“The plans that we've offered would solve the biggest problems that families face which is the cost of care and access to care. Problems that seemed to have been ignored and the Democrats who forced this law through Congress. 

“That means things like allowing small businesses to pool together in order to buy health insurance for their employees. Small businesses deserve a fair shot. 

“It means letting people shop for health insurance that works for them and their families, not what the government says is best for them but what they say is best for them and their families. People deserve a fair shot at buying a plan that's best for them and their families. 

“It means adequately funding state high-risk pools that help people get insurance, people that have disease, people that are sick without raising the costs for healthier people. These are just a few of the solutions Republicans have offered and continue to offer. 

“They're just a few of the things that we'll do to give Americans real health care reform and really a fair shot. Health care reform that gives people the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs, without all of these Obamacare harmful and expensive side effects.”

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May 07 2014

Barrasso Delivers New Details on Obamacare Premiums

Some Americans Now Penalized Based on What Side of the Street They Live On

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech.
Click here to view examples from Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about how Americans are finding out that under the President’s health care law, they could be forced to pay much higher health premiums than their neighbors for the same kind of plan.

Excerpts of his remarks

“I come to the floor today to talk once more about the negative side effects of the President’s health care law.

“Now, President Obama has been spiking the football over the number of people who he says have actually signed up for insurance through his exchanges.

“He also said that Democrats should forcefully defend and be proud of the health care law.

“Now, he’s had nothing to say to the Americans who are seeing their premiums increase.

“This Washington-mandated insurance is loaded up with so many specific mandates, that unless you get a massive taxpayer subsidy, it’s just not affordable for many, many families across this country.

“For some people, the insurance gets even more expensive — even less affordable — depending specifically on where you live.

“Insurance companies used to base your premiums on a lot of different factors — like how likely you were to use insurance, and different things specific to how you would use medical services.

“Well, the Obama health care law took away some of that and replaced it with what they call a community rating.

“Now there are only a few factors that can be used to set people’s premiums—and where you actually live is one of those things.

“So your premiums used to be based on you, but now they’re based on your neighbors — and how likely your neighbors are to use their own health insurance.

“What we’re seeing is all across the country — people are paying more specifically because of where they live.

“The ‘Associated Press’ ran a story on this last month. The headline was ‘Rural residents confront higher health care costs.’

“The ‘Associated Press’ quoted a rancher in Colorado whose premiums had jumped 50 percent — to about $1,800 a month.

“This rancher said: ‘We’ve gone from letting the insurance companies use a pre-existing medical condition to jack up rates, to having a pre-existing ZIP code being the reason health insurance is unaffordable.’

“As this rancher said, ‘It’s just wrong.’

“Well, I agree — so I looked into this, and here’s what I found.

“Some of the lines are drawn so that people just down the road — or even people on different sides of the street — can pay wildly different premiums.

“Now these are people of exactly the same age, and these are people who are buying from the lowest cost silver plan.

“Now, the president likes to talk about income inequality, but the president has created a new kind of insurance inequality.

“It’s not just rural areas like where that rancher lives in Colorado.

“In Louisiana, in one community, the premium for the lowest-cost silver plan in the Obamacare exchange, for a 40 year-old person, who doesn’t get a subsidy, would be $255 a month.

“But if you live right across the street, the premium for that same person, same age, same lowest-cost silver plan, would be $311 a month. 22 percent higher — $56 more a month — just because you live on one side of the street instead of the other side of the street under the president’s health care law. That’s $672 a year.

“So that’s Louisiana. Now, let’s take a look at North Carolina—same situation.

“If you live on that side of this line, $263 a month—just down the road, the other side of the line, $319 a month. Again, $56 more a month, $672 more a year, same individual, all they’d have to do is move from that side to this side and they would either save or pay that much more.

“21 percent more expensive one side than the other. Is that fair?

“The Democrats talk about fairness all the time. Democrat Senators have come to the floor to talk about giving everybody a ‘fair shot.’

“Well, do those Democrats who passed this health care law, who voted for the law, think that in that county in North Carolina, that they’re getting a fair shot depending on which side of the line they live? Did the senator from Louisiana believe that they get a fair shot on either side of the line?

“Does President Obama think these people in North Carolina or Louisiana are getting a fair shot?

“So, why did the Democrats in Washington create a law that penalizes people based on which side of the street they live?

“Here’s another example, Arkansas.

“Here we have an area, one side of the line or the other. Over here $263 per month, over here $294 a month. $31 a month more expensive.

“Are those people in Arkansas getting a fair shot from the president’s health care law?

“For too many people — in places like Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Arkansas — the costs of the president’s health care law are unfair and too high.

“Sure there are some people who are being helped, but there are a lot of people who are being hurt by the president’s health care law — people who are feeling the negative side effects of the law.

“Why don’t Democrats admit this? Why don’t they admit that the health care law is not giving people a fair shot?

“Why aren’t the Democrats in the Senate who passed this law coming to the floor to defend the fact that for millions of people in Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Colorado and all across America, the premiums are too high.

“The health care law is too expensive for families — and it’s also too expensive for a lot of employers.

“There was an article in the ‘Denver Post’ last week titled ‘Health law presents options, challenges for Colorado small businesses.’

“The article tells the story of a small business in Denver that sells cardboard boxes.

“According to the article, the owner of this business has offered insurance to his workers for three decades.

“To get a policy that meets the new mandates of the president’s health care law but was going to cost 50 percent more than they had been paying in the past.

“The article says, ‘About half of small businesses in Colorado are seeing double-digit premium increases’ because of the law.

“Double digit premium increases are not what Democrats promised from their health care law, and it’s not what the American people wanted.

“People wanted something very simple from health care reform. They wanted better access to quality, affordable care.

“Instead, Democrats gave Americans higher costs, and unequal treatment.

“That’s not a fair shot —it’s not what the American people wanted, what they needed. And it isn’t working.

“Now, Americans don’t need a law that Democrats voted for without ever reading it. And it’s a law that raises their premiums.

“Republicans have offered a patient-centered approach that would solve the biggest problems facing families – cost of care, access to care, and ownership of their policy.

“That means allowing small businesses to pool resources in order to buy health insurance for their employees.

“It means letting people shop for health insurance in other states and buy what’s actually best for them and their families.

“It means reforming our medical liability system — to give patients fair compensation for tragic mistakes, while ending junk lawsuits that drive up health care costs for everyone.

“It means adequately funding state high-risk pools that help very sick people get insurance, without raising costs for healthier individuals.

“These are just a few solutions Republicans have offered— just a few of the things that we’ll do to give Americans real health care reform, and a real fair shot.

“Heath care reform that gives people the care they need, from a doctor they choose, at lower cost — without all the negative side effects.”

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