12 DAYS OF OBAMACARE

THE 12 DAYS OF OBAMACARE (SUNG TO "THE 12 DAY OF CHRISTMAS")

On the 12th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
$2.6 trillion spending: According to the Republican staff of the Senate Budget Committee, the health care law and reconciliation measures include $2.6 trillion in new federal spending in their first 10 years of full implementation (i.e. 2014-2023). 

On the 11th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
$2,100 Premiums Raising: According to a Congressional Budget Office analysis, the health care legislation will raise individual health insurance premiums by an average of $2,100 per family. This increase for struggling American families comes despite candidate Obama's frequent promises that his health care plan would LOWER premiums by $2,500 per year for an average family -- meaning the gap between candidate Obama's rhetoric and President Obama's legislation stands at a whopping $4,600 per family. 

On the 10th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
$310,800,000,000 Costs A-Soaring: According to an analysis by the non-partisan Medicare actuary, the health care law will actually raise national health spending by more than $310 billion over its first ten years alone. The fact that the health law will raise and not lower health care costs comes despite an earlier pledge by President Obama that "if any bill arrives from Congress that is not controlling costs, that's not a bill I can support. It's going to have to control costs." 

On the 9th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
35,000,000 Coverage Dropping: According to an analysis by former CBO Director Doug Holtz-Eakin, the health care law "provides strong incentives for employers -- with the agreement of their employees -- to drop employer-sponsored health insurance for as many as 35 million Americans." 

On the 8th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
222 Rules A-Waiving: According to an Administration website, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued 222 waivers to health plans exempting them from some of the health care law's more prominent new mandates. These waivers -- many of them issued to labor unions -- demonstrate the onerous nature of the mandates being imposed, and the inconsistent way in which the law is being applied. 

On the 7th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
40,000,000 Forms A-Filling: According to a report issued by the National Taxpayer Advocate, 40 million businesses will be affected by the health care law's new 1099 paperwork mandate. This new information will force all businesses to file tax forms listing the amount of their annual transactions with vendors like their paper supplier, bottled water distributor, caterer, etc. 

On the 6th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
7,400,000 MA Benes Losing: According to the Medicare actuary, enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) will be cut in half as a result of the health care law, from a projected 14.8 million in 2017 all the way down to 7.4 million. One insurer has already dropped out of the MA program entirely due to the law, meaning seniors will face fewer choices of plans. 

On the 5th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
Zero Oversight Hearings: Since enactment of the health care law in March, the Democrat majority in both chambers has failed to conduct any substantive oversight of the sprawling 2,700 page measure. 

On the 4th day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
159 Boards and Programs: A prior RPC analysis found that the health care law establishes 159 boards, bureaucracies, and programs. From entities like an institute to conduct comparative effectiveness research to the National Health Care Workforce Commission, these bureaucracies will serve to micro-manage the entire health care system, putting government bureaucrats between doctors and patients. 

On the 3rd day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
16,500 IRS Agents: According to a report issued by the Republican staff of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Internal Revenue Service may need to hire as many as 16,500 new agents to police the various mandates imposed on the American people by the health care law. 

On the 2nd day of Obamacare the government gave to me:
21 Federal Lawsuits: According to a website run by the Independent Women's Forum, there are currently 21 separate lawsuits in federal court challenging some or all of the health care law. In one of the more prominent cases, Virginia Judge Henry Hudson struck down the law's controversial individual mandate earlier this month.

On the 1st day of Obamacare the government gave to me: (BIG FINISH!)
A health insurance mandate "fee": The health care law includes an unpopular mandate to purchase government-defined insurance -- a mandate that candidate Obama opposed when he was running for President.