Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius appeared flummoxed by questioning from Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) at a hearing on the new health care law Wednesday.
Johnson challenged Sebelius over a number of the Obama administrationâs claims about the new health care law, namely that it will reduce the deficit and allow individuals to keep their current healthcare plans.
On several occasions, Sebelius professed to have âno ideaâ what Johnson was talking about.
âThe bottom line here is, the cost of this healthcare law is so uncertain, donât you think we ought to put the brakes on it?â Johnson asked. âYou know, Nancy Pelosi said, âWe have to pass this law to figure out whatâs in it.â What I donât want to see is that we have to implement it to figure out how itâs going to bust a hole in our already horribly broken budget.â
SEBELIUS: The original estimate, yes. I think thatâsâ
JOHNSON: Right. So, the original estimate for deficit reductionâ
SEBELIUS: Iâm assumingâ
JOHNSON: The original estimate for deficit reduction in the first 10 years was $143 billion, correct?
SEBELIUS: Yesâ
JOHNSON: So now we, weâve reduced that $143 billion by $86 billion â by not getting revenue from the CLASS Act â and now $111 billion because weâve increased the mandatory costs of the exchanges, correct?
SEBELIUS: Iâm assuming the numbers are correct. Iâm sorry I donât have them.
JOHNSON: So, when you add those together, thatâs $197 billion added to the first 10-year cost estimate of Obamacare, so now we are instead of saving $143 billion, we are adding $54 billion to our deficit, correct?
SEBELIUS: Sir I â
JOHNSON: Weâll submit that to the record. But, thatâs basically true. So instead of saving $143 billion, by this administrationâs own figures and budget, weâre now adding $54 billion to our deficit in the first 10 years. To me, that would be the first broken promise. It is true that the President said that by enacting this healthcare law, every family would save $2500 per year, in their family insurance plan â correct?
SEBELIUS: He said that once the exchanges are up and running, and you have an affordable marketplace, the insurance estimates were that the rates would go down by about $2500, yesâ that has not occurred yet.
JOHNSON: The Kaiser Family Foundation has already released a study saying that average costs of family healthcare plans is up $2200, correct?
SEBELIUS: Again, there is no new marketplace yet for insurance policies.
JOHNSON: But the costs are already up. Weâre already different by $4700; itâs going to be hard to get us down to $2500 cost savings. I would consider that broken promise number two.
Itâs also true, that President Obama very famously said, âif you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.â Period. âIf you like your healthcare plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan.â Period. No one will take it away, no matter what. Now, weâve granted quite a few waivers â about 1,200 to 1,700 waivers â on about 4 million Americans, correct?
SEBELIUS: Iâve no idea what waivers youâre talking about orâ
JOHNSON: Well, those are waiversâ
SEBELIUS: On doctors and health plans, is thatâ¦Iâ
JOHNSON: Just waivers from having to implement portions of the healthcare law that probably would have allowed those â or forced those workers â off their employer-sponsored care.
SEBELIUS: Again, Iâd be happy to answer these questions, but I have no idea what waivers youâre talking aboutâ
JOHNSON: The waivers that HHS has granted to employers notâ
SEBELIUS: Which do what?
JOHNSON: Not having implemented sections of the healthcare law.
SEBELIUS: There have been waivers granted to employers, yes.
JOHNSON: And had those waivers not been granted, chances are, those employees probably would have lost their employer-sponsored care, correct?
SEBELIUS: I have no idea. I mean, Iâm happy to answer those one at a time and look at the waivers and see whatâ
http://freebeacon.com/sebelius-has-no-idea-if-obamacare-adds-to-the-deficit/
Johnson challenged Sebelius over a number of the Obama administrationâs claims about the new health care law, namely that it will reduce the deficit and allow individuals to keep their current healthcare plans.
On several occasions, Sebelius professed to have âno ideaâ what Johnson was talking about.
âThe bottom line here is, the cost of this healthcare law is so uncertain, donât you think we ought to put the brakes on it?â Johnson asked. âYou know, Nancy Pelosi said, âWe have to pass this law to figure out whatâs in it.â What I donât want to see is that we have to implement it to figure out how itâs going to bust a hole in our already horribly broken budget.â
SEBELIUS: The original estimate, yes. I think thatâsâ
JOHNSON: Right. So, the original estimate for deficit reductionâ
SEBELIUS: Iâm assumingâ
JOHNSON: The original estimate for deficit reduction in the first 10 years was $143 billion, correct?
SEBELIUS: Yesâ
JOHNSON: So now we, weâve reduced that $143 billion by $86 billion â by not getting revenue from the CLASS Act â and now $111 billion because weâve increased the mandatory costs of the exchanges, correct?
SEBELIUS: Iâm assuming the numbers are correct. Iâm sorry I donât have them.
JOHNSON: So, when you add those together, thatâs $197 billion added to the first 10-year cost estimate of Obamacare, so now we are instead of saving $143 billion, we are adding $54 billion to our deficit, correct?
SEBELIUS: Sir I â
JOHNSON: Weâll submit that to the record. But, thatâs basically true. So instead of saving $143 billion, by this administrationâs own figures and budget, weâre now adding $54 billion to our deficit in the first 10 years. To me, that would be the first broken promise. It is true that the President said that by enacting this healthcare law, every family would save $2500 per year, in their family insurance plan â correct?
SEBELIUS: He said that once the exchanges are up and running, and you have an affordable marketplace, the insurance estimates were that the rates would go down by about $2500, yesâ that has not occurred yet.
JOHNSON: The Kaiser Family Foundation has already released a study saying that average costs of family healthcare plans is up $2200, correct?
SEBELIUS: Again, there is no new marketplace yet for insurance policies.
JOHNSON: But the costs are already up. Weâre already different by $4700; itâs going to be hard to get us down to $2500 cost savings. I would consider that broken promise number two.
Itâs also true, that President Obama very famously said, âif you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.â Period. âIf you like your healthcare plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan.â Period. No one will take it away, no matter what. Now, weâve granted quite a few waivers â about 1,200 to 1,700 waivers â on about 4 million Americans, correct?
SEBELIUS: Iâve no idea what waivers youâre talking about orâ
JOHNSON: Well, those are waiversâ
SEBELIUS: On doctors and health plans, is thatâ¦Iâ
JOHNSON: Just waivers from having to implement portions of the healthcare law that probably would have allowed those â or forced those workers â off their employer-sponsored care.
SEBELIUS: Again, Iâd be happy to answer these questions, but I have no idea what waivers youâre talking aboutâ
JOHNSON: The waivers that HHS has granted to employers notâ
SEBELIUS: Which do what?
JOHNSON: Not having implemented sections of the healthcare law.
SEBELIUS: There have been waivers granted to employers, yes.
JOHNSON: And had those waivers not been granted, chances are, those employees probably would have lost their employer-sponsored care, correct?
SEBELIUS: I have no idea. I mean, Iâm happy to answer those one at a time and look at the waivers and see whatâ
http://freebeacon.com/sebelius-has-no-idea-if-obamacare-adds-to-the-deficit/