Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) identified potential weaknesses in the Affordable Care Act during a recent hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“We have…heard about the law’s red tape that has stifled job creation and threatened existing health care coverage for millions of Americans,” Upton said. “With just 60 days left until enrollment begins, my constituents want clear answers on the law’s true costs.”
Blackburn said the committee’s research indicated that insurance premiums could rise more than 50 percent in Tennessee.
“Despite being told over and over by the president that ‘if you like what you have you can keep it’ and that health care premiums would go down by an average of $2,500, individuals in Tennessee are seeing just the opposite,” Blackburn said. “Unfortunately, these [premium] increases should surprise no one. If something is taxed and loaded down with mandates, it’s going to be more expensive.”
The expense is also being felt by businesses, Blackburn said, citing a recent Gallup poll that revealed that more than 40 percent of small-business owners have frozen hiring.
The two representatives also raised questions about the capability of the government to administer this program on schedule.
“With two months left until open enrollment in the exchanges begins, is HHS truly ready?” Upton said. “The recent decision by the administration to delay the employer mandate less than six months before full implementation makes us wonder if HHS is planning other delays or changes to the law. This decision raised serious questions about the administration’s ability to implement this law and its authority to rewrite it.”