… you might appreciate a review of Sally Pipes’ critique of the federal health care law. Pipes, head of the Pacific Research Institute, offered her thoughts on ObamaCare one year ago during an interview with Carolina Journal Radio/CarolinaJournal.tv.
Kokai: What do you think it is about the legislation that bothers people so much?
Pipes: I think, as things unfold — you know, I like to say understanding health care is similar to unraveling an onion. There are many layers and many tearful moments. You know, the man on the street doesn’t understand health care, and maybe goes to the doctor, and then he gets a bill, and then he pays it, or his insurance company pays it. That’s what he thinks, and he doesn’t really know.
But I think when people like myself and all the people that have been fighting for empowering doctors and patients and not having the government get more involved in our health care, when people realized that there was going to be an individual mandate that they had to buy insurance, that we were not going to achieve universal coverage — the president said his two goals were universal coverage and bending the cost curve down. Well, the Congressional Budget Office said 23 million Americans will still be uninsured in 2019, and they talked about bending the cost curve down. The president said over and over again, “We’re going to reduce the average family’s premium by $2,500 a year.” Well, the Congressional Budget Office said, “Wrong. It’s going to increase by $2,100 a year.” And certainly, with the new controls that came on insurance companies on September 23, children being able to stay on their parents’ plans till 26, starting the reduction of no lifetime limits or annual caps, preventive care being free, no co-pays, the cost of insurance is going up 10 to 13 percent, employers are charging their employees more in terms of what they pay for premiums, and co-pays are going up as well.
And so the American people realize, “What is this? This is taking away our ability to get the kind of health care we like.”