More than four years after it was passed, President Barack Obamas federal health-care law still divides members of the Florida congressional delegation on party lines as they continue to spar over it.
From his perch on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said last week that it was no surprise to see Healthcare.gov, the website for the health care law, has been hacked.
Healthcare.gov has been plagued with errors since day one, Bilirakis said. "Unfortunately, it is no surprise Healthcare.gov was hacked which potentially jeopardizes the personally identifiable information of Americans. I saw this coming, which is why I introduced HR 3795, the One Hour Notification (OH No) Act, in December of 2013.
Bilirakis bill would have mandated the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services to contact any Americans whose information was compromised through Healthcare.gov within an hour, the same time frame the federal government demands of contractors working on the website. While Bilirakis bill did not pass, parts of it were included in the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014 which sailed through both chambers of Congress.
The Florida congressman continues to oppose the health care law.
Millions of Americans were forced to sign up for the exchanges in order to avoid being fined under the individual mandate, Biliraksi said. They have seen their health care costs rise, lost access to the doctor or plan they liked, and now are potential victims of identity theft. Despite all this, the administration opposes legislation like mine, which would require the federal government to alert Americans when their information has been compromised. The president forced his unpopular, unworkable law on the American people which is not functioning the way he promised.
Bilirakis also showcased his support of U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidys, R-La., Employee Health Care Protection Act which would let Americans keep their current health care plans despite Obamas law. The bill passed the Republican-controlled House on Thursday with 25 Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy from Florida, joining the GOP. The bill is not expected to gain much traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
When the bill passed, Bilirakis turned once again to Obamas broken promise that Americans would be able to keep their current plans under the law.
When the president said if you like your plan, you can keep it, that was deemed PolitiFacts Lie of the Year. Then, millions of Americans across the country in the individual market received cancellation notices; they felt the impacts of the broken promises of the presidents health-care law, Bilirakis said. Now, the specter of cancellations looms again. Up to 50 million people who get health care through their employer could have their plan canceled or disrupted because of rules and regulations in the presidents health-care law. If one of my constituents wants to keep their plan, they should be able to. Enough broken promises.
At the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., also took aim at the health care law, insisting the White House broke promises on it and noting many Americans lost their benefits under it.
Obamacare has failed to deliver on many of its namesakes soundbite promises from day one, Webster said on Friday. Perhaps the biggest broken promise was the presidents infamous declaration that If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period. This claim was found to be so misleading and outright false that it was deemed the Lie of the Year by the nonpartisan fact checker, PolitiFact.
The simple truth is that millions of Americans lost their health care plan because of Obamacare. While most of these cancellations were limited to the individual market, millions of Americans who get their health care insurance through their employer face the same fate in the coming months, Webster added before pointing toward a bill he was backing.
This week, I voted in support of the Employee Health Protection Act, which ensures that American workers can keep their current health plan if they like it. The bill also expands freedom for small businesses to access more affordable health care options that best serve their employees, Webster said. For too many, Obamacare has resulted in canceled plans, lost doctors or heightened deductibles, premiums or out-of-pocket costs. Instead of a government overreach, we need health care solutions that deliver the care you need, from the doctor you choose, at a price you can afford.
But Democrats from the Sunshine State continue to cheer Obamas health-care law. Last week, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., cheered the news that Florida was second in the nation, only behind Texas, when it came to getting monies from the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Departments in a navigator grant to help Americans enroll in the health insurance marketplaces. The bulk of the $6.8 million headed to Florida, part of $60 million HHS has distributed around the nation, is headed to the University of South Florida (USF) which is penciled in to receive almost $5.4 million.
Florida led the nation in the number of people who signed up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, thanks in large part to the trusted, independent guides who helped families sort through their options in the health care insurance marketplace, Castor said last week. USF and their partners were very successful in assisting consumers during the last enrollment period and they will lead the way again. The $5.4 million competitive grant this year exceeds the $4.2 million it received last year. I am proud of the recognition USF and all of Tampa Bays partners have received. They helped many of our families access quality, affordable health care coverage and improve their economic security.
Castor is not the only Democrat in the Florida delegation pointing ahead to the enrollment period for the health care law which starts in November. Last week, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), trumpeted the start of enrollment and the need for grants to fund navigators.
As we gear up for the next Affordable Care Act enrollment season starting in November, Florida organizations are receiving critical grants to hire additional staff and reach more people in need of coverage, Wasserman Schultz insisted.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinstatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
