By Sam Baker
The Obama administration will not implement a controversial piece of the healthcare reform law, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Friday.
Sebelius said the department will not continue trying to implement the CLASS program, which was intended to provide insurance for long-term care. Republicans charged that the program’s financial structure was unsustainable, and Sebelius conceded as much Friday.
“We have not identified a way to make CLASS work at this time,” she wrote on the Huffington Post.
Read the complete story here.
OBAMACARE
By The
Numbers
$2.6 Trillion:
|
True
Cost Of ObamaCare Once Fully Implemented.
(Office Of The
Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives, Report, 1/6/11)
|
$701 Billion:
|
Amount
ObamaCare Will Add To The Deficit. (Office Of The Speaker Of The U.S.
House Of Representatives, Report, 1/6/11)
|
$575 Billion:
|
|
$491.7 Billion:
|
Taxes
Raised In ObamaCare. (Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10; Joint Committee On Taxation, 3/2/10)
|
$450 Billion:
|
Cost
Of ObamaCare “Glitch” Allowing The Middle-Class To Qualify For Medicaid.(Avik
Roy, “The 450 Billion Glitch: 3 Million Extra Middle-Class Americans Eligible
For Medicaid Benefits,” Forbes,
6/21/11)
|
$401 Billion:
|
Increase
In Federal Entitlement Spending From ObamaCare. (“The Budget and
Economic Outlook: An Update,” Congressional Budget Office,
August 2010)
|
$210 Billion:
|
Amount
Of Income Taxes Collected Over 10 Years Through ObamaCare.("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act,"Joint Committee On Taxation
Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
$145 Billion:
|
Cost
Of ObamaCare Cuts To Medicare Advantage. (CMS Chief Actuary Richard S. Foster,
“Estimated Financial Effects Of The 'Patient Protection And Affordable Care
Act,' As Amended,” Memo, 4/22/10)
|
$80 Billion:
|
ObamaCare’s
CLASS Program “Zombie” Savings In The Federal Budget. (Ricardo
Alonso-Zaldivar, “‘Zombie’ In The Budget: Long-Term Health Care Plan,” The Associated Press,
10/8/11)
|
$60 Billion:
|
Health
Insurance Tax On Businesses. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act,"Joint Committee On Taxation
Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
$50 Billion:
|
Cost
Of Fixing A “Glitch” That If Left As Is, Will Leave Millions Without
Affordable Health Care Coverage. (Julian Pecquet, “Health Care Law
Could Leave Families With High Insurance Costs,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,”
7/21/11)
|
$32 Billion:
|
Cost
Of 40% Tax On High Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
$27 Billion:
|
Taxes
Imposed On Manufacturers And Importers Of Branded Drugs. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act,"Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10)
|
$20 Billion:
|
Taxes
On Medical Device Manufacturers. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
$15 Billion:
|
Funds
Collected Through A Tax On Annual Out-Of-Pocket Medical Expenses. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
$13 Billion:
|
Tax
On Flex Spending Accounts. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10)
|
$5 Billion:
|
New
Taxes On Americans Who Save For Their Health Costs. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10)
|
$4.5 Billion:
|
Taxes
On Retiree’s Prescription Drug Plans. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act,"Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10)
|
$2.7 Billion:
|
Tanning
Tax. (Janet Adamy, “Federal Tan Tax Burns Some Badly But Keeps
Everybody In The Dark,” The Wall Street
Journal, 7/1/10)
|
$1.4 Billion:
|
Penalties
For Early Withdrawals From Health Savings Accounts. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act,"Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10)
|
$320 Million:
|
Cost
To Taxpayers Of Co-Op Defaults As Estimated By HHS. (“Not-For-Profits
Vying With WellPoint May Get $3.8 B In Loans,” Bloomberg News,
7/18/11)
|
$2,000:
|
Penalty
Per Employee Levied On Employers For Dropping Health Coverage. (Chris Mondics,
“Employers Looking For Health-Care Answers,” The Philadelphia Inquirer,
4/27/10)
|
$1,000:
|
Penalty
Levied On Americans Who Don’t Obtain Health Insurance. (Stephen
Ohlemacher, “Nearly 4M People Could Pay Without Health Coverage,” The Associated
Press,
4/22/10)
|
78 Million:
|
Americans
Forced To Find Other Sources Of Health Coverage. (Grace
Marie-Turner, “No, You Can't Keep Your Health Insurance,” The Wall Street
Journal,
6/8/11)
|
20 Million:
|
Americans
That Will Be Affected By ObamaCare Mandates On Health Savings Accounts. (Jeffrey Young,
“Doctors Hit By Aspirin Demands As Health Law Restricts Accounts,” Bloomberg,
8/23/11)
|
16 Million:
|
Americans
That Will Be Enrolled Into Medicaid By ObamaCare. (John
Goodman, “Medicaid Rescissions Worse Than Private Insurers,” Kaiser Health News, 8/12/10)
|
14 Million:
|
Americans
That Won’t Keep Their Current, Employer Based Coverage. (Anna Wilde
Mathews, “Workplace Set To Remain Key Source Of Health Coverage,” The Wall Street Journal,
5/17/10)
|
7 Million:
|
Number
Of Medicare Advantage Recipients That Will Have To Find Other Coverage. (Ricardo
Alonso-Zaldivar, “Medicare Official Doubts Health Care Law Savings,” The Associated
Press,1/26/11)
|
6 Million:
|
Retirees
That Will Lose Prescription Drug Coverage. (The Board Of Trustees, Federal
Hospital Insurance And Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds, “2010 Annual Report Of The
Boards Of Trustees Of The Federal Hospital Insurance And Federal
Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds,” 8/5/10)
|
800,000:
|
Number
Of Workers That Will Be Cut Out Of The Workforce By ObamaCare. (J. Lester Feder
& Kate Nocera, “CBO: Health Law To Shrink Workforce By 800,000,” Politico,
2/10/11)
|
46,000:
|
Shortage
Of Surgeons And Specialists In 2020 Due To ObamaCare. (Editorial,
“Extreme Demand,” The Columbus Dispatch,
6/29/11)
|
45,000:
|
Shortage
Of Primary Care Physicians In 2020 Due To ObamaCare.
(Editorial, “Extreme Demand,” The Columbus Dispatch,
6/29/11)
|
43,000:
|
Jobs
Shipped Overseas When Medical Device Tax Comes Into Effect. (Sam Baker,
“Device-Makers Say Tax Will Cost 43,000 U.S. Jobs,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,”
9/7/11)
|
24,000:
|
Jobs
Lost Due To Tanning Tax. (Vicki Needham, “GOP Targets Tanning Tax,” The
Hill’s “Health Watch,”
6/8/11)
|
22,000:
|
Total
Enrollment In ObamaCare’s High Risk Pools. (Julian
Pecquet, “Report: States Better Than Feds In Getting Sick People Enrolled In High-Risk
Pools,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,”
8/26/11)
|
1,572:
|
ObamaCare
Waivers Granted By HHS. (“Annual Limits Policy: Protecting Consumers, Maintaining
Options, And Building A Bridge To 2014,” Centers For Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Accessed 10/11/11)
|
374:
|
Union
Plans That Have Been Issued ObamaCare Waivers From HHS. (“Annual Limits
Policy: Protecting Consumers, Maintaining Options, And Building A Bridge To
2014,” Centers For Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Accessed 10/11/11)
|
270:
|
Number
Of Health Care Groups That Support Repealing The Independent Payment Advisory
Board (IPAB). (Sam
Baker, 270 Health Care Groups Back IPAB Repeal,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 6/24/11)
|
106:
|
Three
Year Waivers Granted By HHS. (“Annual Limits Policy: Protecting
Consumers, Maintaining Options, And Building A Bridge To 2014,” Centers For Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Accessed 10/11/11)
|
98:
|
Regulatory
Entities Created Under ObamaCare. (Matt Barry, “Health Care Overhaul
Creates 98 New Regulatory Bodies,” Bloomberg,
7/26/10)
|
34:
|
States
Where Health Insurers Have Stopped Selling Child-Only Insurance Policies. (Sarah
Kliff And J. Lester Feder, “Child-Only Health Plans Endangered,” Politico, 1/27/11)
|
18:
|
Tax
Increases Included In ObamaCare. (Curtis Dubay, "ObamaCare And
New Taxes: Destroying Jobs And The Economy," The Heritage Foundation,
1/20/11)
|
15:
|
Members
Of The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). (David Nather,
“Medicare Cost-Cutting Job Could Be Worst in D.C.,” Politico, 5/14/11)
|
12:
|
Democrats
That Have Co-Sponsored Legislation To Repeal The Independent Payment Advisory
Board (IPAB). (H.R. 452, Introduced
1/26/11)
|
6:
|
Pages
Of ObamaCare Spawned 429 Pages Of Regulations. (Paul Beddard, “6
Pages Of Obamacare Equals 429 Pages Of Regulations,” US News & World Report,
4/7/11)
|
5:
|
States
That Have Received A Waiver From ObamaCare’s Medical Loss Ratio. (“Medical Loss
Ratio,” Centers For Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Accessed 10/11/11)
|
200%:
|
Increase
In Premiums On Mini-Med Plans Due To The Elimination Of Annual Limits. (Bob Semro, “Waivers
In Health Care Law Often Misrepresented, Misunderstood,” The Huffington Post,
6/22/11; “The Truth About Health Care Waivers,” The White House Blog,
12/10/10))
|
90%:
|
Employers
That Are Passing Additional Health Care Costs On To Employees. (Stephanie
Bouchard, “Health Care Professionals Expect Costs To Rise With Health Care
Reform,” Health Care Finance News,
8/11/11)
|
74%:
|
Companies
That Are Altering Retiree Drug Benefits Strategy. (“Report Shows
Potential Impact Of Health Care Reform On Retiree Medical Programs,” J.J.
Keller’s HR Advantage, 4/25/11)
|
60%:
|
Americans
That Are Seeing Higher Health Care Premiums. (Jordan Rau, “Poll
Finds Americans Gloomy On Some Promises In Health Law, Kaiser Health News,
7/28/11)
|
50%:
|
Seniors
Dropped From Medicare Advantage. (Editorial, “Farewell, Medicare
Advantage,” The Wall Street Journal,
6/11/10)
|
43%:
|
Health
Care Organizations That Expect Costs To Rise “Significantly.” (Stephanie
Bouchard, “Health Care Professionals Expect Costs To Rise With Health Care
Reform,” Health Care Finance News,
8/11/11)
|
48%:
|
Americans
Who Favor The Supreme Court Striking Down ObamaCare. (Ramsey Cox, “Hill
Poll: Plurality Wants Healthcare Reform Nixed By The Supreme Court,” The Hill 10/1/11)
|
40%:
|
Tax
On High-End “Cadillac” Coverage Plans. (Joseph Rago, Op-Ed, “Lies, Damn Lies
And The ObamaCare Sales Pitch,” The Wall Street Journal,
10/18/10)
|
30%:
|
Employers
That Are Likely To Stop Offering Health Insurance To Their Employees. (Janet Adamy,
“Study Sees Cuts to Health Plans,” The Wall Street
Journal, 6/8/11)
|
15%:
|
Health
Care Providers That Will Be Forced Into The Red By ObamaCare. (“Advocates,
Industry Fear Debt Deal Could Open The Way For Big Cuts To Medicare And
Medicaid,” The Associated Press,
8/2/11)
|
10.6%:
|
Increase
In Employee Premiums For 2012. (Bruce Jaspen, “New Survey Projects
Higher Employee Health Premiums,” The New York Times’ “Prescription Blog,”
10/2/11)
|
9%:
|
Increase
In 2011 Premiums. (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance
Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News,
9/27/11)
|
9%:
|
Decrease
In Employers Offering Health Care Coverage In 2011. (Jeffrey Young,
“Health-Benefit Costs Rise Most In Six Years,” Bloomberg,
9/27/11)
|
8.4%:
|
Increase
In Health Care Spending In 2014. (Brett Norman, “CMS: Health Law Will
Lead To Rise In Spending,” Politico,
7/28/11)
|
8%:
|
Increase
In Cost Of Single Employee Coverage In 2011. (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In
2011,” Kaiser Health News,
9/27/11)
|
6%:
|
ObamaCare’s
Cuts To Medicare. (“Advocates, Industry Fear Debt Deal Could Open The Way For Big
Cuts To Medicare And Medicaid,” The Associated Press,
8/2/11)
|
5.8%:
|
Annual
Growth In Spending On Health Care Under ObamaCare. (Paige Winfield
Cunningham, “Health Care Law Won’t Rein In Costs, Study Says,” The Washington Times,
7/28/11)
|
2.3%:
|
Tax
On Medical Device Manufacturers. ("Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Manager's
Amendment To The Revenue Provisions Contained In The 'Patient Protection And
Affordable Care Act," Joint Committee
On Taxation Report, 3/20/10; Editorial, “Taxes
Upon Taxes Upon…,” The Wall Street Journal,
7/11/11)
|
0:
|
Other
People Obama Will Have Left To Blame For The Failures Of ObamaCare. (The American
People, 11/6/12)
|
