E-Newsletter: Obamacare Continues to Wreak Havoc on Our Health-Care System

Statement

Greetings,

In the latest of a string of lawsuits related to the Affordable Care Act, the second-highest court in America is expected to rule this week on Halbig v. Burwell--a direct challenge to the federal government's ability to meddle in states that have refused to participate in Obamacare's poorly conceived state-exchange system. While no one is certain of the outcome, we are four years along since this law's passage and the legal dust has not yet settled. This is what happens when a major law is passed without bipartisan support.

The consequences have been even worse for Kansans who tell us, week after week, about a reality that directly contradicts claims by the Obama administration.

This past Friday, the White House touted the Affordable Care Act as a success because more people have insurance today than before the law was passed. This was never the ultimate goal of health-care reform--after all, it's hardly news that more people purchased insurance after the government required them to do so or else suffer a penalty. According to some numbers, Kansas hasn't even seen much of an increase in those insured.

As the President himself stated when he was pushing this law, the goal was to give people more access to care at more affordable prices (that's why it was called the Affordable Care Act). This law has not reached that goal--in fact, it has made it harder to reach. Both the "affordable" and the "care" parts of the law's name are misnomers.

For instance, Kansans may have previously liked their already affordable health insurance that did without extra coverage for things they didn't need. The Affordable Care Act eliminated those plans and forced Kansans onto more expensive plans that covered more things they didn't want. When I asked former HHS Secretary and governor of Kansas Kathleen Sebelius why this was so, she explained that it was because the government had decided that what Kansans had and liked "wasn't true insurance." That would be a surprise to the folks who liked their insurance.

The Affordable Care Act was also supposed to ensure more people got the care they needed. But it has failed there, too. Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, many Kansans were no longer able to see the doctors they had and liked because they were forced onto new insurance. Rural medical centers and critical access hospitals such as the Kingman Community Hospital or the Pratt Regional Medical Center face even greater uncertainty because the Affordable Care Act cuts Medicare reimbursements, which make up a substantial part of these facilities' revenue.

Last year, I wrote to Sen. Max Baucus, the author of this terrible law, calling on him to work with House Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it. I also cosponsored the "Defund Obamacare Act," which would have put a stop to all appropriations that specifically funded the law's implementation--a move that the Heritage Foundation said was the only surefire way to stop the damage.

We need to hold this administration accountable for not only falling short of its promise, but also for making matters worse.

Sincerely,

Mike Pompeo
Member of Congress

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