As the Supreme Court continues to review the constitutionality of ObamaCare, Pennsylvanians are again reminded of the false promises of Senator Bob Casey. Back in 2009 (before Casey was on the ballot for re-election), Casey assured Pennsylvanians that the health care overhaul bill would cut the deficit and lower health-care costs for Pennsylvanians. Oops, I guess Casey thinks his 60th vote for Obamacare doesn’t count.
Casey broke his promise to Pennsylvanians because his $1.76 trillion government health care takeover will actually increase deficits by $701 billion. Not only will ObamaCare increase deficits, it will also increase health care costs for Pennsylvania families and businesses. Small businesses alone face a tax increase of $87 billion under ObamaCare! Broken promises on ObamaCare are just another example of career politician Casey’s penchant for saying one thing in Pennsylvania and voting another way in Washington.
Casey Claimed That The Health Care Bill Would Save Taxpayer Money And Reduce The Federal Deficit. “Casey, D-Pa., says the plan would provide more security and stability for Americans who too often are bankrupted from health care costs. The reform package is fully funded and would reduce the national deficit by $130 billion during the next 10 years and by another $700 billion in the following decade, Casey said. Over time as people and businesses pay in, the cost is offset, which enables the reduction in the deficit. ‘Reports have focused on the bill costing $848 billion,’ Casey said. ‘However, because the bill is fully paid for and includes offsets to spending, that money wouldn’t be added to the deficit. It actually saves taxpayer money and reduces the deficit.’ (Kathy Stevens, “Pa. Lawmakers Weigh In On Health Reform,” The York Dispatch, 12/7/09)
Casey Was The 60th Vote For The Senate Version Of The Health Care Overhaul Bill.(H.R. 3590, CQ Vote #396: Passed 60-39: R 0-39; D 58-0; I 2-0, 12/24/09, Casey Voted Yea)
Casey Voted For The Final Health Care Reconciliation Bill. (H.R. 4872, CQ Vote #105: Passed 56-43: R 0-40; D 54-3; I 2-0, 3/25/10, Casey Voted Yea)
In March 2012, CBO Reported That ObamaCare Will Cost $1.76 Trillion Over Ten Years, Nearly Twice The Amount Of The Original Forecast. “President Obama’s national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law. Democrats employed many accounting tricks when they were pushing through the national health care legislation, the most egregious of which was to delay full implementation of the law until 2014, so it would appear cheaper under the CBO’s standard ten-year budget window and, at least on paper, meet Obama’s pledge that the legislation would cost ‘around $900 billion over 10 years.’” (Philip Klein, “CBO: Obamacare To Cost $1.76 Trillion Over 10 Yrs,” Washington Examiner, 3/13/12)
ObamaCare Included $525 Billion In Taxes. “Two laws that were enacted in late March—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA (Public Law 111-148), and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)—have had a substantial impact on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) projections of mandatory spending and revenues. … Taking into account all of the provisions related to health care and revenues, the two pieces of legislation were estimated to increase mandatory outlays by $401 billion and raise revenues by $525 billion.” (The Congressional Budget Office Website, www.cbo.gov, Accessed 11/21/11)
A Kaiser Family Foundation Study Found That Employer-Based Health Insurance Premiums For A Family Increased By 9% in 2011. “Most Americans saw their insurance bills jump this year, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The average employer-based premium for a family increased a startling 9% in 2011. Over the next decade, rates are expected to double.” (Sally Pipes, Op-Ed, “Higher Health Insurance Premiums This Year? Blame ObamaCare,” Forbes, 10/10/11)
- Kaiser Foundation CEO Drew Altman Credited ObamaCare For 20 Percent Of The Premium Increases. “Most Americans know that medicine is getting more expensive, but a new survey puts a shocking sticker price on the rapid increase. The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust report that between 2010 and 2011, family premiums increased by 9 percent and for individual premiums by 8 percent. According to the survey, ‘The average premium for single coverage in 2011 is $452 per month or $5,429 per year … The average premium for family coverage is $1,256 per month or $15,073 per year.’ What’s driving those costs? In large part, Obamacare. According to Kaiser Family Foundation CEO Drew Altman, the President’s health care legislation was responsible for approximately 20 percent of the increase in premiums.” (Mike Brownfield, “Morning Bell: Obamacare’s Soaring Price Tag,” The Heritage Foundation’s “The Foundry”, 9/29/11)
The $87 Billion Health Insurance Tax (HIT) Will Make Insurance For Small Businesses More Expensive. “One of the main goals of health reform is to make coverage more affordable for small businesses, but the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) only makes that goal harder to achieve. In fact, the new healthcare law includes an $87 billion health insurance tax (HIT) that will fall hard on small businesses. The HIT, which is levied on health insurance companies, will almost entirely be passed onto consumers in the fully insured marketplace, where nearly all small businesses and the self-employed purchase their coverage. This new tax on small businesses will raise insurance costs for already struggling small businesses and is contrary to the goals of healthcare reform.” (National Federation Of Independent Business, www.nfib.com, Accessed 11/2/11)