By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Seizing on the growing unpopularity of the Patient Protection and Affordable Cares Act, better known as Obamacare, Republicans have passed legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives which would delay the implementation of penalties on average Americans who are either unable or are unwilling to comply with the demands of the omnibus healthcare reform legislation which was passed by a then Democrat dominated U.S. Congress.
Congresswoman Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery said that giving citizens the same relief as businesses, “…is an issue of fairness.”
Representative Roby wrote in a weekend email to constituents, “Why hasn’t the White House been listening to the concerns from ordinary Americans – individuals and families who also deserve a reprieve from this mandate? It’s not fair for President Obama to shield businesses from his health care law while leaving the rest of America on the hook. Maybe this is what happens when big business has an all access pass to the White House, while ordinary Americans can’t even take a tour!”
Rep. Roby wrote, “Apparently Republicans and Democrats agree that President Obama’s healthcare is unworkable. This week, 35 Democrats joined 229 Republicans to pass legislation offering American businesses relief from ObamaCare, but it didn’t stop there. 22 Democrats joined with Republicans to offer the same one-year reprieve of this law to individual Americans.”
The conservative Alabama Congresswoman explained, “This is an issue of fairness. Earlier this month, the Obama Administration announced it would delay until 2015 enforcement of ObamaCare’s “employer mandate,” which requires businesses with 50 or more employees to offer healthcare coverage or face steep tax penalties. In explaining the employer mandate delay, White House officials repeatedly said the President was ‘listening’ to business.” Rep. Roby said that that’s great for big business, but questioned why the White House has not been listening to the concerns of ordinary American both individuals and families.
Rep. Roby concluded, “The President’s healthcare law is driving up insurance costs and dragging down job growth. While delaying this law for businesses and individuals is only fair, I continue to support efforts to repeal ObamaCare in its entirety. We need patient-centered healthcare that allows Americans and their doctors the freedom to make their own medical decisions.”
The Penalty for a person defying the government and not being covered by health insurance the first year is expected to be $95 per adult and $47.50 per child or 1% of household income: whichever is greater. For high income people, that 1% in additional income tax would make the cost of self insuring ridiculously expensive. The job of extorting the money from millions of Americans has been assigned to the IRS. The law requires that all Americans be covered by health insurance in 2014 whether through employer provided coverage, an individual or family policy, or through government provided coverage like Medicaid or Tricare.
The original justification for passing healthcare reform was to provide coverage to more Americans. At this point it seems possible that in many states the number of uninsured may decrease little if any.
