MEMO: House Republicans’ Costly Obsession with Repealing ACA
To: Interested Parties
Fr: Democratic Leader's Press Office
Dt: March 23, 2014
Re: House Republicans' Costly Obsession with Repealing ACA
As millions of Americans celebrate the four year anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans remain blinded by their desire to repeal the health reform law regardless of how much time they waste and taxpayer dollars they squander in the process.
Last week, House Republicans voted for the 51st time to repeal or undermine the ACA, just days before HHS announced 5 million Americans had signed up for health insurance through the ACA established individual marketplaces. If 51 votes wasn't enough, the GOP is also wasting time and taxpayer dollars in ways most Americans aren't aware of – frequent, fruitless House Committee and Subcommittee hearings and so-called ‘investigations' to undermine the ACA.
| 33 hearings – 83 hours, 14 minutes | 25 hearings | 17 hearings – including 3 with HHS Secretary Sebelius |
| 548,717 pages of documents | 1,000,000+ pages of documents |
| Sent letters to 163 organizations | 13 transcribed interviews with CMS and HHS officials | In period of 232 days (July 2013 to March 2014), W&M held full committee hearings only on ACA |
The GOP's Sisyphean repeal quest is a shocking waste of taxpayer resources expended in an effort to undermine and take away real benefits Americans – taxpayers – are enjoying.
4 Ways the Affordable Care Act is Transforming Lives:
- No American can ever again be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.
- No woman can ever again be charged a higher premium just because she's a woman.
- No American ever again has to worry that one major illness will mean bankruptcy for their family.
- No senior will ever again have to pay a co-pay for key preventive services like cancer screenings.
Despite the facts, anecdotes and successes, House Republicans' blind obsession continues to get the best of them and cost American taxpayers. The list of opportunity costs and opportunities lost is long. American priorities – job creation, comprehensive immigration reform, increased wages, renewed unemployment benefits, and infrastructure investments – are all casualties of House Republican's campaign to repeal ACA.
House Republicans have no excuse for the fiscal irresponsibility of their actions or the wasted opportunities they had to govern in a way that helps the American people and strengthens our economy. This is a costly GOP obsession the American people just can't afford.