E-Newsletter

Obamacare an “8 out of 10,” According to President Obama

As part of a recent wide-ranging interview with ABC News, President Obama was asked to rate “the success” of Obamacare on a scale of 1 to 10.  I was shocked when he gave the health care law a rating of 8 out of 10. 

The reasoning behind that very generous rating?  President Obama said, “And the reason I don’t put it at a 10 is because you can always improve something.”

Unfortunately, because ABC News didn’t press him on this issue, we are left to wonder how the President might “improve” his health care law. 

Of course, I am of the belief that he can’t improve Obamacare – that it is a failure.  I believe it is broken, but like his foreign policy, he thinks all is well with Obamacare.

I desire to repeal Obamacare and have voted to do so. 

The President thinks his law can be improved.  Perhaps he should start by keeping his promises to the American people:

“If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.” 

“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” 

“I want to lower premiums by about an average of $2,500 per family, per year, because people right now cannot afford it.”

These are all promises broken by the Obama Administration.  There are many more.  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  These broken promises have real consequences.  To borrow from a December 2014 letter to editor in the Roanoke Times:

“Until last year, our policy, which we liked, was $574 per month with a $4,000 deductible. Our new policy under the ‘Affordable Care Act’ is $1,704 per month with a $4,000 deductible. …”

“I looked at coverage though the act and it was much cheaper, but I could not have the same doctor I have had for 22 years. So as far as I am concerned, ‘You can keep your policy and your doctor’ is true only if you want to pay three times more.”

Also, take Tammy S. from Floyd County, who in late April of last year submitted the following to GOP.gov/YourStory:

“My parents are self-employed and they were very happy with the health insurance coverage they had.  They received a letter today that their premiums will double in July 2014.  And the policy that they had would not exist anymore because it did not meet [Obamacare] requirements." 

In a 2014 Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing, I asked representatives of some of the nation’s largest health insurance providers if their companies expected that health insurance premiums for an average family would be cut by $2,500 a year, as promised by then-candidate Obama when campaigning.  Not one insurance company representative raised his hand, nor did they raise hands when I asked about a $2,000 reduction or a $1,500 reduction.  

The President can’t keep his promises and keep Obamacare. 

It just won’t work.  If he keeps just the promises listed above, the program will either go bankrupt or cost the United States so much the people won’t stand for it.

Despite these issues and others, President Obama thinks his law deserves an 8 out of 10. 

He seems to think that by willing for his foreign and domestic policies to happen, they will become reality.  But this is not true.  This is not true with ISIS, it is not true with Iran, it is not true with Yemen, it is not true with Russia, and it is also not true with Obamacare.

The biggest problem with this Administration I think is that President Obama truly believes Obamacare deserves an 8 out of 10.

In reality, I believe it is hurting most Americans while helping some.  Accordingly, I give it a 1.5 out of 10.  Perhaps I am too pessimistic where the President clearly is wearing rose colored glasses.  But even if we average it out for our biases, the program is still less than a 5 out of 10.  It’s a failure, Mr. President.  Let’s work together to find a health care plan that is a positive for a majority of Americans.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office.  You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.  To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.  Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.

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