U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (PA-04) released the following statement regarding the delay of the employer mandate.
"The announcement that implementation of the Obamacare employer mandate is being delayed until after the 2014 election is a stark example of politics at its worst. The mandate, which forces small businesses who employ 50 or more individuals to provide a pre-determined level of health coverage or face fines, was clearly pushing businesses to lay-off employees to avoid the penalty. I have heard this exact concern from numerous employers, as has the Obama Administration, and they have chosen to protect their political allies for the upcoming elections, rather than work with employers to protect American jobs. And we wonder why people have lost faith in our government.
I can assure you that, after meeting with many doctors, hospital administrators, small businesses, insurance providers and citizens, almost no one has any idea what the implementation of this law will look like. And the state-based health insurance exchanges are set to begin in less than 90 days. In California, UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, and Aetna have decided to leave the state in advance of the state-based exchange. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office originally estimated that Obamacare would cost $940 billion over ten years. That estimate has now increased to $1.683 trillion. That’s a 55 percent cost increase before the law even is fully implemented.
Even those who support Obamacare are quick to highlight provisions they feel will be harmful to patients and the healthcare industry. President Obama himself has signed seven bills that dismantle parts of his own health care law.
Yesterday’s announcement is a clear acknowledgment that the law is bad public policy and no amount of political maneuvering will change that. Unfortunately, the Administration has only delayed implementation for employers but not everyone else who will be impacted by this unworkable law. Congress must continue to insist on common-sense health care reforms that don’t threaten our economy and impede job creation, don’t interfere with individual choice and don’t add to our already unsustainable debt burden.”
