Bay Ridge

Michael Grimm wants Obamacare repealed before it’s too late

Calls CBO report proof law hurts Americans

February 6, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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The Congressional Budget Office report projecting the loss of 2.5 million full time jobs over the next decade due to the effects of the Affordable Care Act has been seized upon by the opponents of Obamacare, who charged that it is proof the law is unworkable and hurts Americans.

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, the lone Republican in Brooklyn’s congressional delegation, was one of the first elected officials to release a statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report was released on Feb. 4.

Grimm (R-C-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Staten Island) said the report outlines “the job-killing effects” of Obamacare.

“Today’s report once again reaffirms that opposition to Obamacare is far from the stubborn fanaticism that President Obama and liberals in congress have claimed, but is based on indisputable facts and hard data. It is now clearer than ever that the president has perpetrated one deception after another in forcing this disastrous law on the American people,” Grimm stated. “I cannot fathom how anyone could claim to represent the best interest of their constituents and still stand by this law that is causing skyrocketing premiums, dropped coverage, and unprecedented uncertainty between patients and their doctors, particularly when it comes to seniors.” 

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“As employers continue to reduce hours and lay off workers in order to comply with Obamacare’s regulations, our nation will never recover if we are saddled with this bureaucratic nightmare for generations to come,” Grimm said.

He called on Democrats in congress to “heed the calls of their constituents, colleagues from across the aisle and those within their own party to immediately repeal and replace this devastating law before it is too late.”

But in an editorial, The New York Times argued that Republicans are misinterpreting the CBO report.

The report did say that the Affordable Care Act will reduce the amount of hours millions of employees work, but not because of any negative impact the law would have on the job market, according to the Times editorial.

Rather, the CBO predicted that the expansion of insurance coverage will free up workers so that they will no longer be tied to jobs they hate just to be covered under an employer’s health insurance plan, the Times reported. Employees might choose on their own to work fewer hours or not work at all if they can obtain health insurance without an employer.

 


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