Healthcare Costs Will Increase
Debbie Stabenow Claimed ObamaCare Would Lower The Cost Of Healthcare 

When liberal U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow cast one of the deciding votes for Barack Obama’s job-killing healthcare law, she promised the legislation would lower healthcare costs for families in Michigan, but instead these costs have skyrocketed.   

Since this legislation has been signed into law, healthcare costs have risen by 9 percent and the average Michigander is now paying $132 more for health insurance.  

Additionally, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently found that the healthcare law will now cost $2.6 trillion, twice as much as what Stabenow and her fellow Democrats promised it would cost. 

“Debbie Stabenow promised that ObamaCare would lower healthcare costs, but due to her burdensome law, Michiganders are now paying an additional $132 for health insurance,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Lance Trover.  “This is another reminder that Stabenow would rather rubberstamp Barack Obama’s tax-and-spend policies into law instead of standing up for the hard-working people of Michigan.”

BACKGROUND …. 

Debbie Stabenow Promised That ObamaCare Would Lower The Cost Of Healthcare

Stabenow Said Health Care Reform “Is Really About Fighting For The Middle Class And Small Businesses And Bringing The Kinds Of The Reforms That Will Bring Down Costs, Save Money Regarding Health Care, and education — costs of college. So these are very, very important issues that will directly affect families all across this country. And we’re so pleased.” (“Democratic Members Of The Senate Hold A News Conference On Adjustments To Health Reform Legislation,” Political Transcript Wire, 3/26/10)

Stabenow Said Health Care Reform “Is About Bringing Premiums Down For Small Businesses.” Stabenow: “We’ve also stressed over and over again that the majority of the people that don’t have insurance are working. They’re working in a small business, they’re working a part-time job, two part-time jobs, three part-time jobs. The reality is, they are working. And so this legislation overall in terms of coverage and creating more affordable insurance is very much focused on small business, self-employed, and on those who are individuals looking for insurance. This is about bringing premiums down for small businesses, it’s about making sure they have the tax cuts that will help them be able to purchase insurance for themselves and their employees.” (Senator Debbie Stabenow, News Conference, Washington, D.C., 12/9/09) 

But The Cost Of Healthcare Has Risen By Nearly 10 Percent

Factcheck.org: ObamaCare “Falls Short Of Making Health Care ‘Affordable And Available To Every Single American,’ As Promised.” “Furthermore, the law falls short of making health care ‘affordable and available to every single American,’ as promised. The law provides subsidies to help some Americans buy insurance, expands Medicaid and doesn’t allow insurance companies to exclude persons with preexisting conditions. But still, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured – some because they can’t afford coverage.” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12)

• Factcheck.org: ObamaCare Is Actually Making Health Care “Less Affordable.” “At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable. Independent health care experts say the law has caused some insurance premiums to rise. As we wrote in October, the new law has caused about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans because of requirements for increased benefits. Last year’s premium increases cast even more doubt on another promise the president has made – that the health care law would ‘lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.’” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12)
• The Washington Post ‘s The Fact Checker: “Moreover, at this point it is debatable whether the law has made health care more affordable. Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law.” (Glenn Kessler, “The Fine Print In Obama’s ‘Promises Kept’ Ad,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 1/6/12)

Kaiser Study Found That Costs Of Family Coverage “Climbed” 9 Percent In 2011. “The average cost of a family policy climbed 9 percent in 2011 to $15,073, according to a poll of 2,088 private companies and state and local government agencies by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California, and the Chicago- based American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust.” (Jeffrey Young, “Health-Benefit Costs Rise Most In Six Years,” Bloomberg, 9/27/11)

• Workers Paid An Average Of $132 More For Family Coverage In 2011 Than They Did In 2010. “Although premiums rose, employers kept the percentage of the premium workers pay about the same: An average of 18 percent for single coverage and 28 percent for family plans. Still, with rising costs, workers paid more, up an average of $132 a year for family coverage. Since 1999, the dollar amount workers contribute toward premiums nationally has grown 168 percent, while their wages have grown by 50 percent, according to the survey.” (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/11)

And The CBO Has Updated The Price Tag Of Government-Run Healthcare From $900 Million To $2.6 Billion

FOX NEWS:  The Congressional Budget Office has extended its cost estimates for President Obama’s health care law out to 2022, taking in more years of full implementation, and showing that the bill is substantially more expensive — twice as much as the original $900 billion price tag.  (Jim Angle, New CBO health law estimate shows much higher spending past first 10 years, Fox News, 03/14/12)