Valentine, NE – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement regarding news that the Obama Administration has selectively delayed a second major provision of the health care law limiting patients’ out-of-pocket expenses:
“Each day brings more news that ObamaCare is not ready for prime time. Last week, we heard that Americans’ personal and financial data could be at risk because of missed deadlines for the new health exchanges’ security systems. Today, we learned that the administration has selectively delayed another major portion of the flawed law. This time, it’s consumer protection. Rather than capping costs for individuals and families – as promised by the law – the delay of a key provision limiting patients’ out-of-pocket costs guarantees that this law will be anything but ‘affordable.’
“This quiet decision by the administration, which was posted on a little-noticed government website in February, is the latest in a long litany of broken promises. Despite the administration’s failure – for months – to fully explain this ‘grace period’ to the American people, my recent conversations with Nebraskans show they are well aware of the disastrous impact of this law on their families, businesses, and communities. The president has already delayed the law for big businesses. Instead of following the president’s lead and selectively delaying the law for some, I remain committed to delaying – and defunding – this law for all Americans.”
The New York Times reported today: “The limit on out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-payments, was not supposed to exceed $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But under a little-noticed ruling, federal officials have granted a one-year grace period to some insurers, allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014.
“The grace period has been outlined on the Labor Department’s website since February, but was obscured in a maze of legal and bureaucratic language that went largely unnoticed. When asked in recent days about the language – which appeared as an answer to one of 137 ‘frequently asked questions about Affordable Care Act implementation’ – department officials confirmed the policy.
Before a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009, President Obama promised, “We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.”
“Each day brings more news that ObamaCare is not ready for prime time. Last week, we heard that Americans’ personal and financial data could be at risk because of missed deadlines for the new health exchanges’ security systems. Today, we learned that the administration has selectively delayed another major portion of the flawed law. This time, it’s consumer protection. Rather than capping costs for individuals and families – as promised by the law – the delay of a key provision limiting patients’ out-of-pocket costs guarantees that this law will be anything but ‘affordable.’
“This quiet decision by the administration, which was posted on a little-noticed government website in February, is the latest in a long litany of broken promises. Despite the administration’s failure – for months – to fully explain this ‘grace period’ to the American people, my recent conversations with Nebraskans show they are well aware of the disastrous impact of this law on their families, businesses, and communities. The president has already delayed the law for big businesses. Instead of following the president’s lead and selectively delaying the law for some, I remain committed to delaying – and defunding – this law for all Americans.”
The New York Times reported today: “The limit on out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-payments, was not supposed to exceed $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family. But under a little-noticed ruling, federal officials have granted a one-year grace period to some insurers, allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014.
“The grace period has been outlined on the Labor Department’s website since February, but was obscured in a maze of legal and bureaucratic language that went largely unnoticed. When asked in recent days about the language – which appeared as an answer to one of 137 ‘frequently asked questions about Affordable Care Act implementation’ – department officials confirmed the policy.
Before a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009, President Obama promised, “We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.”
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