If you think any democrat voted to get rid of this tax and thought that their vote really meant getting rid of the tax, you are a fool.

JH - Broker was just noticing that the morons that voted to pass the healthcare act to begin with didn't know anything about what was really in it.

AlexM-3929653

Along with health premiums going up next year for quite a few people.

from 1999 to 2008 (waaaaay before there was such thing as Obamacare) the premiums have DOUBLED from $6000/yr per family plan to $12000/yr per family plan. On top of that things like deductibles, out-of-pocket fees, etc. also went up.On top of that, the # of uninsured has also been going up.

Please stop pretending like this "premiums going up" is a new thing.

BTW, my premiums as of April 1 are actually going down by $46/month and I live in RomneyCare state....oops, sorry, I know RomneyCare is a dirty word in the Republican world.

And by the way, besides the fact that ObamaCare is RomneyCare, ObamaCare was the Republican idea in 1993..with Universal Coverage and pentalties for not having insurance... but it was called "Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act of 1993."

stop

Ok so enlighten us Colorado! What's in it, all of it.

My insurance raised my co-pay from $25-$50. Then they sent a letter saying that there are going to issue a refund. Then they lowered my co-pay back down to $25.

Look at all those Democrat senators up for re-election. LOL

the impact of the health care act, is now beginning to show it's face; there is no way middle class workers can afford their share of the premium increases, it is impossible to have a two tier system, one Medicaid, two private insurance with taxes and premium increases for the private system will be unaffordable for the middle class workers; the large company employers must pass the costs on to the workers; this monster must be rewritten to have a one tier system or just scrape the entire thing.

In a largely symbolic move, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to repeal one of the taxes that is paying for President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care overhaul.

Heya, Senator "Pocket Veto" Reid....how about a "symbolic move" and put to the Senate floor for a vote on SCRAPPING the entire ObamaCare ?

Yep, these are the same Progressives writing and voting on legislation which affects ALL Americans.

It is Bush's Republicans' Obama's Progressives fault.

The ACA had economy recovery models and assumptions that have not materialized, so that makes the new tax less supportable... it's THAT simple.

As far as the other drivel here that blame the ACA for raising premiums and/or co-pays, you need a class in cause and effect... because it sure looks like positioning by selected insurance companies and just a continuation on pre-ACA health care cost inflation.

We have systemic problems with health care and it's not the ACA.

As someone that works with hospitals around the nation and is deeply involved in the mechanisms of charge and reimbursement, I can tell you that 99% of the hospitals would not change their prices due to a 2.3% increase in their cost for these devices. Hospitals make an annual across the board increase that accounts for the increases that have, or will, occur and seldom, if ever, address individual item prices. Senior discontent, the public's reaction and the Senate's action is unwarranted. This tax is effectively an invisible tax and should remain in place.

Man, all whiners are basically clowns, health care costs have been out of control for 20 years (check the stats), blaming it on ACA is disingenuous at best. This was made to make health care affordable to those that have none and those that would otherwise be denied coverage, or go bankrupt. For everyone else, its almost the same as before. Curtaining general health care costs has not been done in a meaningful way by anyone left or right.

this is just symbolic because the politicians want to look like they care about the middle class when in reality it's all about them and their next election. They know once this ACA kicks in and people really SEE and feel what's in it they are in trouble. Since the ACA doesn't apply to them or those they gave waivers to they'll just posture and the media will deflect to guns and immigration to keep the lapdogs feeding off the taxpayer dime in line as they have the attention span of a flea.

Read the Time magazine article on the heath-care industry, it will answer most of your questions on where the money goes.

Spoiler alert: It goes the the CEOs and upper-management of non-profit hospitals. (turns out non-profits make huge profits compared to the for-profit hospitals. (both make lots of money off of the sick and dying though)

Fun Fact: Did you know that hospitals pretty much just make up what they charge us, and reports show that across the board they just multiple whatever it costs them by a factor of 10-12. So for a $1 Bandaid they will bill you at $12. (except for Medicad patients, the government only lets them gouge the tax-payers for a small profit, the rest of us have to fend for ourselves)

But no, let's make sure we give that industry all the tax-breaks we can, they are suffering so badly. </sarcasm>

I currently live in Germany, and here the government regulates the amount of profit the health-care industry can make because they have a single-payer system. Here you can actually afford to pay for health services out of pocket, and without insurance. My appendectomy cost me $3,000 for the whole surgery and 3 days in the hospital. What would that have cost me in the States? It most likely would have destroyed me financially. No one should have to declare bankruptcy to not die.

Repeal Obamacare!!!!!!!!

JH-479998

My premiums for my private health care insurance went up 50% last year and I just got a notice that they are going up 25% more the 1st of May 2013

Sucks to be you. Not only mine went down by 6%, we got the MLR reimburstment last year. Now tell me, I live in a state that has a 98% insured population but yet my premium is going down. What is your company and/or your state doing wrong then?

BTW - Romneycare was enacted in a very democratic state and it is only at the STATE level. It is nothing like the ACA POS.

I'm sorry but was Romney - you know the GOVERNOR - a Democrat? And I'm sorry, was ObamaCare not passed by the US Congress - you know by the same process the Founding Fathers designed to work?

Take your comparison and shove up with everything else.

oh, sound like someone is mad. Do you need a hug?

jh & baylie: Of course, one thing left out of the Romneycare discussion is the fact that it has been subsidized by the fed gov. to make it look more affordable than it really is, so that it could be used as an example to pass Obamacare. The fact is that we've already seen what a catastrophe Obamacare is. Besides raising taxes, thousands of waivers have been granted prior to the 2012 election just so that the realities could be hidden from the voters long enough to get Obama re-elected. Ever thought to ask "why the waivers if Obamacare is so great?"

Cut taxes with huge deficits. Brilliant. Just keep cutting taxes till the government collapses.....

The Time's article, while a good piece, is not necessarily an accurate picture. All not for profit hospitals must make a profit to stay in business (unless they happen to be a local tax supported hospital...which even then the tax payers want to minimize their tax and so insist the hospital strive for profitability). The difference between a not for profit hospital and a for profit hospital is the tax code. Obviously, a for profit hospital pays taxes on the money it makes, whereas a not for profit does not pay taxes and instead must use any profit for community benefit (e.g. provide care for the poor and uninsured as well as the underserved). The OIG and the IRS are both reviewing the issue of not for profit status as some hospitals that are not for profit do not appear to be providing the community benefit required (a good place to start might be Sloan-Kettering and M.D. Anderson as the Time's piece does indeed suggest unreasonable profits). A larger question would become if, hypothetically, everyone is insured, what would the need for a not for profit system be? In fact, what would be the role of a for profit if reimbursement is preset to minimize cost...(would it pay the investor's as bond?)but that's another discussion. I would also note that there approximately 1,600 hospitals (mostly small community hospitals) have closed since the late 1990's and less than 300 have opened. Further of the 300 openings almost all were reopenings of previously closed hospitals. So, a hospital is not a money printing machine...in fact most hospitals (especially those that are less than 300 beds or those that are in the inner city regardless of size) struggle mightly to stay open.

Regarding the 10 times markup, as someone that works with hospitals across the nation I can tell you that marking up a supply item is never as high as 10 times. Further, the Center's for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publish an annual listing of every (Medicare participating, which is virtually every hospital) hospital's cost-to-charge ratio. That is, what is the cost associated with every dollar charged? The national average is about 0.25:1. That is, there is 25 cents in cost for every 1 dollar charged. I am not suggesting that a four times markup is acceptable, only letting you know what the true cost of care is as measured annually by CMS.

I am not saying change is not needed, but a full understanding of cost is required and the Time piece failed to address that. As a first step it would make sense to limit executive pay in a not for profit setting. But that would be government in healtcare and many don't seem to want that! ;)

witchrunner ...what catastrophe? more people are insured , In some states more lower middle class people who cannot afford insurance premiums are now being picked up by Medicaid, the program is paid for and actually reduces deficits in the program. People who were turned out by insurance companies because of preexisting conditions can now get insurance. where is your catastrophe.....get your facts straight.

Insurance companies obviously hate Affordable Health Care. They will (one example) need to cover people with existing conditions (some acquired before birth) and not be able to turn them away or charge them a LOT more... So, they're going to charge everyone more. Their petulant retaliation is making healthcare a difficult problem. Maybe if all the poor people just up and died and the middle-class could keep on pretending that they had a shot a a good life (after all the pensions are shot to heck) then the rich could rest peacefully in their walled retreats. BUT WAIT! Who will mow your lawn, work at the dry cleaners, care for your children, work at your supermarkets (that's where the nanny goes to buy food); and, who will teach your children and police your streets. Keep on taking from the poor and letting the rich pretend they're just saving their money (jobs) in case we want too much. ACA is a step up (and will save in emergency room costs threatening to shut down hospitals) for those that need it. But, hey, F the poor. You've gotten very busy trying to convince everyone that poor people want to be poor, are not citizens, and the honest ones just don't care.

Bayllie....You sound like you have no idea about our health care system! I live in MA and I know there is a major difference in the two health care plans. ROmneycare doesn't tax the entire state, you personally get a tax if you don't have coverage for yourself. But I don't pay taxes to cover my neighbor because he doesn't have coverage. Obamacare is a national plan and I will end up paying for someone across the country because they don't have it! Romney was a Republican govenor that got his health care reform passed in a Democratic state, although there's lots that he did not want that was passed due to that Democratic state government. Furthermore, our Congress didn't even read the damn bill before passing it! Idiots!!!!

not afraid.... you are already paying for people who come into the emergency room and do not pay . You are also paying for people who come into the doctors office who does not have insurance. My doctor charges the insurance company over 400 dollars for a visit 100 of that I have to pay yet if you do not have insurance you walk in there ad pay25 dollars. Obama care insures everyone and these outrageous inequalities will be gone.

joe: As I said, the real effects have been covered up so far and the main part of it doesn't even kick in until 2014. The whole bill is designed to fail. It is designed to drive out private insurance and cause people to lose what coverage they have so that the people will clamor for the government to step in and run everything. Some dems have even admitted this.

As an example, there are currently a lot of companies that provide health insurance for their employees at an affordable cost. McDonalds, Target and other retailers offer a very inexpensive policy. Sure, it doesn't cover everything, but it does offer some measure of coverage for the employee. It's cheap enough that part-time employees can fairly easily afford it. These companies obtained waivers from Obamacare so they could continue to provide that coverage for their employees. Obamacare actually shuts those policies off. So, if these companies are going to continue to provide health insurance coverage, the policies have to be upgraded to the full Monty. That means that instead of some coverage those employees will end up with no coverage because the companies are going to drop the coverage as they can't afford to pay the premiums on medical insurance that well exceeds the wages being paid to the employees. So much for Obama's "if you have coverage you'll be able to keep it."

Add to that the fact that insurance companies are required to provide more than insurance. In other words, it isn't insurance anymore. When one thinks of insurance they think of people pooling their resources to protect themselves from unforeseen future events. With pre-existing conditions being required to be covered for no additional premium, it no longer is insurance, but rather forced sharing of all expenses. So, yes, costs are going to go up for everyone.

The big lie about Obamacare is that it was passed so that those who don't have coverage can afford coverage. Obviously, that could have been addressed by just addressing that issue. But, nooooooooo.... the dems took the opportunity to take over one sixth (or so) of the US economy by taking all those who were happy with the insurance they have (roughly 90%) and forcing them into the same system.

Bottom line? Give it time and the catastrophe will become apparent. It has happened with everything the government tries to run.

Chris, I didn't vote for it, you moron. It's not my obligation to know "what's in it, all of it." I also didn't for for any Representative or Senator that voted for it. Or for the POtuS that signed it. I do know enough about it to know that it's a bad batch of legislation.

notafraidtoadmit

ROmneycare doesn't tax the entire state, you personally get a tax if you don't have coverage for yourself.

The health care law in MA does the exact same thing. The individual mandate Romney installed uses the same tax scheme to penalize free riders as Obamacare, charging people who choose to not purchase health insurance a penalty through the tax code. And Romney himself has acknowledged as much — many times.

But I don't pay taxes to cover my neighbor because he doesn't have coverage.

yes you do: big chunk of your premium goes to cover the uninsured

and please tell me, what about those who choose not to have insurance but get sick and use ER but don't pay the bill? Who covers that? you - the taxpayer of course.

Obamacare is a national plan and I will end up paying for someone across the country because they don't have it!

again!!!!!!!!!!!!! you already do that: through your premiums and through taxes

Furthermore, our Congress didn't even read the damn bill before passing it! Idiots!!!!

that's their problem if they didn't...and you make it sound like this is the only one they CHOSE not to read. If they actually read the bills before voting on them, people like Rand Paul wouldn't be proposing bills to make it MANDATORY.

Jeezus, you people leech on to a talking point and make it sound like it something abnormal.

BTW, I suggest you stop listening to the idiots from WAAF because they constantly say stupid stuff like the government is going to tax the part of the premium contributed by your employer. Hasn't happened yet, and I have not heard them say they were wrong either.

Have any of you read the 2700 plus pages of this health law? The private insurance some have has to conform to this law or offer you the governments insurance and if you have employer offered insurance the same thing applies. Do you really believe when this pile of crap is fully engaged that we will be paying less I have some swamp land I will gladly sell you. The increases are to cover the things that went into effect or did you forget the kids covered until 26 and etc. The corporations have to adjust for these for these things. You must remember this is not a free ride those of us who pay for our insurance are going to end up paying for those who can't and the government is going collect that money one way of another. It is all there in the 2700 plus pages. By the way how do you like non medical people making choices for your medical care that is in there too.

Great news folks:

— Most physicians have a pessimistic outlook on the future of medicine, citing eroding autonomy and falling income, a survey of more than 600 doctors found.

Six in 10 physicians (62 percent) said it is likely many of their colleagues will retire earlier than planned in the next 1 to 3 years, a survey from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found. That perception is uniform across age, gender, and specialty, it said.

Another 55 percent of surveyed doctors believe others will scale back hours because of the way medicine is changing, but the survey didn't elaborate greatly on how it was changing. Three-quarters think the best and brightest may not consider a career in medicine, although that is an increase from the 2011 survey result of 69 percent.

"Physicians recognize 'the new normal' will necessitate major changes in the profession that require them to practice in different settings as part of a larger organization that uses technologies and team-based models for consumer (patient) care," the survey's findings stated.

About two-thirds of the survey responders said they believe physicians and hospitals will become more integrated in coming years. In the last 2 years, 31 percent moved into a larger practice, results found. Nearly eight in 10 believe midlevel providers will play a larger role in directing primary care.

Four in 10 doctors reported their take-home pay decreased from 2011 to 2012, and more than half said the pay cut was 10 percent or less, according to Deloitte. Among physicians reporting a pay cut, four in 10 blame the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and 48 percent of all doctors believed their income would drop again in 2012 as a result of the health reform law.

I would think the Senate would have wanted to read this catastrophe BEFORE they passed it?

BTW, for all you ObamaCare lovers we are now starting to see the effects. This part and hours being cut by employers because they can't afford it but just wait until you get your next renewal price. Brokers are already being given the head up to pass along to their customers that insurance rates will increase as much as 100% (that means rates doubling).

If you think healthcare is expensive now just wait until it is free...............

Bailie to your 1.4 post

You're comparing a nearly decade to allow healthcare costs to double, to roughly 2.5 years for it to nearly double again. Hardly apples to apples.

BTW, if you really think Chafee (who put up the 1993 bill) was a real republican, you're fooling yourself. I consider myself a middle of the fence moderate, but even to me, his ideals are more liberal. He put forward the bill, but go back and double check who actually supported it.

I am watching the news as I type and they are reporting AETNA will raise premiums 55%, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NY will raise premiums 50%, and Unitedhealth Group will raise premiums 116% in 2013.

It was reported on the front page of the Wall St Journal today that health insurance providers are warning of across the board increases in premiums directly because of the Affordable Care Act

You can not add 30 million new people to the insurance role and not have the cost go up!

Symbolic.... meaning NOTHING will come of it......

2.3% tax.... hold on now, that could be a deal-changer......

I voted to END ObamaCare........ right after I voted to pass it...........

Kandibar: Exactly right.

The naive heard a president say costs would go down and because they know nothing about how economics works believed him. They will quickly find out how wrong they were.

ObamaCare: With the efficiency of the DMV and the compassion of the IRS............

If you think healthcare is expensive now just wait until it is free............

Mac., # 1.15,

Yes, interesting, and shyster guild member BHO refuses any tort reform.

What's the biggest malpractice award in Germany, and you have 'loser pays' do you not.?

Until we get the Lawyers out of our medical care, good luck lowering costs.

This tax is effectively an invisible tax and should remain in place.

the tax is "invisible" unless you're an employee of a medical device company and lose your job because of it. The tax is not deductible for the companies and it is charged on revenue, not profits, so even a company that is losing money has to pay it. Customers are refusing to allow the tax to be passed on, so manufacturers are having to cut costs elsewhere, often in their payrolls.

Health care costs have not been skyrocketing in the last 20 years. It's been much longer than that. The first I remember is back in the 60's when a doctor was sued for stopping to help a motorist that had been in an accident. The motorist died, The family sued the doctor, Doctors insurance premiums jumped, doctors complained, patients' costs went up, the Good Samaritan law was passed, and the insurance companies raised the premiums on everybody to pay the increased hospital and doctor costs.

It used to be that the doctor lived pretty close, made house calls, and didn't get rich because you got sick. Now a doctor says he isn't getting rich because of insurance and student loan costs, but I haven't seen one in the last 30 years that drove a car like mine.

As they say: Nothing is more inefficient than one person spending another person's money for yet another person's benefit. And, that is exactly what has happened. When you have insurance, do you question the bill? Of course not! You know that what you have to pay is less than what you would have paid if you had paid out of your own pocket.

I remember going to a doctor for a second opinion and was told that I owed so much for the visit. A month later I got a bill from the provider advising that they didn't realize that it was a "second opinion" so the bill was (a lot higher because the insurance company paid more for it, and so was my co-pay). Of course, I told them they could put it where the sun don't shine, or words to that effect. Never heard another word from them. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

That's the problem with government taking over the healthcare system, or any other system. What incentive does an hourly employee, or salaried employee have to contest a bill that they view as having no affect on their wallet? In other words, do you want to work hard for your money or lay back and work easy for the same money? Duhhhh......

@ ProBusiness,

I think you lack the common sense to understand employers/insurance companies don't slash hours or raise premiums because of not being able to afford an Obamacare implementation. This is purely a retaliative response to it's passage by employers/insurance companies who disagreed with the ACA law based upon the Constutionality of the law. BTW........their objection was in vain because SCOTUS up held it's constitutionality.....game over. You must remember, employers have employees paying for their own plans by deduction from payroll by the very income they earn....themselves. If small businesses with less than 25 employees choose to cut hours. They'll profit less. It's as simple as that. Insurance companies are the recipients of increased enrollment onto their insurance policies. As a result, they (insurance companies) are profiting even more. So your logic about Obamacare being the cause become simply illogical and delusional. This retaliation was predicted in advance by the Obama administration. And there still remains a simple solution if Coporations/employers/people like yourself play this game. This game where they believe raising premiums without due logical cause for false blame on the Affordabel Care Act will just bring about the Public Option. So if you all must.......go ahead and play this stupid blame game of which ACA is not the cause.

Tony: One day you will grow up and understand how business works. You cannot increase the cost of doing business and then be surprised when it affects their decisions in reducing benefits, cutting payroll, or passing along the cost increase to the employees.

If you want to see the effect of ObamaCare just look at any reputable news source. Papa Johns, Darden, and Five Guys Burgers have already stated how it will affect their business. And they are just the three willing to say publicly. Every other business is doing the same thing. I know two people who work for two different restaurants who have been told in the last two weeks their hours are being cut to 28 hours to keep them under the 32 hours listed under ObamaCare.

Report came out today that 6 out of 10 doctors state they know someone in the medical field retiring earlier than planned due to ObamaCare.

Another article today where insurance companies are telling the insurance brokers to start telling their customers that over the next year insurance premiums will be rising 50% to possibly over 100%.

So you just keep believing how Obama is going to "bend the cost curve". The only bending that will be taking place is each of us over the counter as the effects of ObamaCare will pound us time after time without the benefit of even a thank you.

But don't believe me now if you don't want to. If you want to be one of the naive low information voters that want to wait to find out go ahead and be the fool - but at the moment only 36% support ObamaCare. Why? Because anybody with the IQ at least 10 points above a turnip can see what is happening and what this is going to cost.

@ Probusiness,

A law requiring all to have health insurance coverage would not be responsible for a rise in premiums by health insurance companies. A law requiring all drivers to have auto insurance coverage was not responsible for a raise in auto insurance premiums. Why didn't Republicans and the business establishment ever say that ???? Who the hell do you think you're blogging with??? I have a Masters degree in mathematics.

Health insurance companies have no statistical data to present showing a future proposal of a rise in premiums would stabilize/maintain historical profit margins for their Industry because such stats would reflect a future rise in premiums giving them greater profit margins in comparison to those very historical figures. It's all talk with no data....period. So go and pontificate your phony business mathematics/politics to someone else.

You lost on the legal SCOTUS Constitutionality challenge. And Conservatives would lose on the mathematical of this argument, as well. Get over it. ACA is the law, Loser.

This is the same thing that happened with the boat tax in 1990. Pick a random industry and place a high tax on it, for whatever reason. It devastated the boat industry and was repealed with bipartisan support. Go look up Cook medical, Stryker and others and see how this tax, a GROSS tax not NET tax which is insane, is killing the industry.

Tony you are absolutely wrong employers are slashing hours. 8 schools in my neighboring district just told most of their workers they would be capped at getting 28 hours ..... because of Obamacare.

Guy that has many franchises I know is doing the same.

Another very bad thing it does is create unfair competition. You have 55 employees you either pay the costly insurance or pay the fine. I have 48 and i'm not subject to it (50 threshold) therefore have a great advantage over you in the marketplace. In this instance you would be much better off firing 6 people.

That 50 threshold is going to make people think twice about expanding. Going to hurt the franchise business. Once you cross that 50 threshold your profit margin could instantly get cut in half. I know because we ran numbers on buying out a retiring guy, 15% my stake, and I passed on it mostly because of Obamacare. As did everyone else in the group.

You seen the IRS estimate for a single 27 yr old non smoker? If Obamacare were in effect today rates would be 190% higher. i.e. you pay 2k now you would pay 5.8k when it is full effect.

And what about the 100 billion excise tax it puts on insurance companies? You do realize that is going to be passed on to you with higher rates right?

You know if you don't get insurance and don't pay the tax the IRS can garner your wages? You have to prove it on your tax return. I suppose you are glad we are footing the bill for the 16,000 new IRS agents for this? The costs just to implement this massive takeover is going to be HUGE.

Tony the difference in car insurance you speak of is the Federal govt isn't trying to take it over. And you have other options ...bus, rail, cab, bike, carpool, walk, etc where the Feds aren't dictating it.

BIGATC,

Full time employed positions and Part time employed positions were in existence long before ACA's passage. And it will continue to be in existence long after ACA's passage. Get over it. ACA is the law of the land. Move on....get a life. Talk about something else.

True, but Obamacare states that "full time" is only 30 hours a week now for healthcare purposes. For businesses that can't afford it the employees will be limited to less than 30 hours a week and its going to hurt the paychecks of a whole lot of people. A TON of people.

It is indeed the law of the land. And its going to have a huge drag on the economy when it goes into full effect. Sit back and watch what happens to rates late fall and what happens when the most inefficient organization I know of, federal govt, tries to get in the insurance business.

This is the list of sponsors of the bill that sought to implement universal health care coverage in 1993. Look at all the republicans who were so much in favor of this idea that they sponsored the bill. Many of these same people now sit in the same positions, but oppose the idea because it now belongs to the other side.

Politics is a game. It is a game of lies. Party success is more important to these people than national success.

S.1770
Latest Title: Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act of 1993
Sponsor: Sen Chafee, John H. [RI] (introduced 11/22/1993) Cosponsors (20)
Related Bills: S.1757
Latest Major Action: 11/23/1993 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 338.

COSPONSORS(20), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort: by date)

Sen Bennett, Robert F. [UT] - 11/22/1993
Sen Bond, Christopher S. [MO] - 11/22/1993
Sen Boren, David L. [OK] - 5/17/1994
Sen Cohen, William S. [ME] - 11/22/1993
Sen Danforth, John C. [MO] - 11/22/1993
Sen Dole, Robert J. [KS] - 11/22/1993
Sen Domenici, Pete V. [NM] - 11/22/1993
Sen Durenberger, Dave [MN] - 11/22/1993
Sen Faircloth, Lauch [NC] - 11/22/1993
Sen Gorton, Slade [WA] - 11/22/1993
Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] - 11/22/1993
Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] - 11/22/1993
Sen Hatfield, Mark O. [OR] - 11/22/1993
Sen Kassebaum, Nancy Landon [KS] - 11/22/1993
Sen Kerrey, J. Robert [NE] - 5/17/1994
Sen Lugar, Richard G. [IN] - 11/22/1993
Sen Simpson, Alan K. [WY] - 11/22/1993
Sen Specter, Arlen [PA] - 11/22/1993
Sen Stevens, Ted [AK] - 11/22/1993
Sen Warner, John [VA] - 11/22/1993
Sen Brown, Hank [CO] - 11/22/1993(withdrawn - 10/4/1994)

Tony: Okay, you seem to think you know how business and the economy works but clearly don't.

Take a look at these latest articles:

More doctors plan to retire early for a number of reasons including ACA.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/more-docs-plan-to-retire-early.aspx

Insurance Premiums increasing as much as 100% (when you are forced to cover those even with pre-existing conditions SOMEBODY has to pay for that - and it is you and I)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324557804578374761054496682.html

Restaurants are cutting hours due to ObamaCare

http://www.examiner.com/article/applebee-s-papa-john-s-darden-restaurants-threathen-employees-over-obamacare

http://washingtonexaminer.com/five-guys-obamacare-will-boost-burger-prices/article/2523934

Taxes in ObamaCare are going to be significant and even the Senate has passed a symbolic law to eliminate the Medical Devices Tax because of the increased costs it will cause (I wish the Senate had read it before they passed it)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/21/senate-votes-kill-obamacare-related-tax/

The above Medical Devices Tax (if not repealed) will actually raise the cost of VETERINARY care as well for pets

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/13/beware-obamacare-veterinarian-shifts-costs-custome/

Due to the cost of ObamaCare employers are dropping coverage for spouses (law says they must cover children but spouses are not. Now they have to find an individual plan if they can even FIND it)

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/14623-employers-dropping-spousal-coverage-to-avoid-obamacare-fees

Prices going up

http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/03/05/industry-analysts-premium-rates-will-continue-rise-under-obamacare

Obamacare is cutting Medicare

http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=22941

In other words you can try to make up stuff as you go along but anybody with the IQ at least 10 points above a turnip know what is happening and what is going to happen to the cost of their healthcare (if they can even FIND insurance for their healthcare).

This isn't an opinion - this is what is happening and businesses, doctors, and consumers (even naive ones like you) are already starting to see and realize it will get worse from here.

probusiness: You aren't going to get anywhere with tony. As you've said, he hasn't a clue as to how the economy works. The facts of the luxury tax will always elude him because it doesn't conform to his religion that says big government knows best. The facts of Obamacare will also elude him. Just look at the luxury tax, who was really hurt by that? Did the "rich" just continue to buy big ticket items and the rich just paid the tax, or did it hurt the boat, airplane, etc. industries? Well, we know those industries were hurt and that is why Congress repealed it. Who was hurt by the tax? Obviously, the owners. Who else? Well, all the workers who built those luxury items! And are those workers big rich fat cats? Of course not. They are the "middle class" that the libs say they are looking out for. But, as with all things with libs economically, they end up hurting the people they say they are trying to help. Just look at the tax increases. Libs say that taxing the rich will help the working middle class. Obviously, they assume that the rich are the employers, as they usually are. As how many poor people do you know hire other people?

I'll end this discussion tread, not intentionally, but because there hasn't been a lib yet who can answer the question, which is: How are the employees of a business being helped when the government makes sure that the employer has less money to spend? You and I know how business works, but libs don't want to know. The die-hard libs are focused on punishing the successful, no matter the cost to everyone else. The think Bill Gates is evil and everything he built should be redistributed. They haven't a clue that thanks to Bill Gates, a heck of a lot of people are a lot richer today than they would have been had he not been. And none of it came at the expense of anyone else. Yet, that's not the line you hear from the libs. After all, Bill Gates didn't build that!

Obama promised health care costs would go down, and the quality of medical care would stay the same.

HE LIED ABOUT IT ALL.

If you think the extra costs are only going to be confiscated from "the rich", THINK AGAIN.

Your W-2 now must show the Dollar amount in premiums your employer paid for health care on your behalf. THIS WILL SOON BE ADDED TO YOUR GROSS INCOME AND BE TAXABLE.

YES, THIS MEANS YOU! IF YOU'RE POOR, MIDDLE CLASS AND HAVE A JOB WITH HEALTH CARE NENEFITS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HUGE, HUGE INCREASE IN YOUR TAXES.

You were warned, but you wouldn't listen.

Hey tony, FYI some of the companies I deal with are looking at 4 six hour shifts instead of 3 eight hour shifts. others are looking at eliminating their delivery routes and shipping with a company such as UPS

Businesses will have to compensate some where because health care costs will go up

Bipartisan amendment. That's what playing well with others is meant to be. It is a step in the right direction. When was the last time you saw Democrats and Republicans agreeing on something.

Since 2010, every law that has been passed in this country has been attached to another bill. That seems to be the only way that Congress can get anything done, sadly.

Symbolic is good.

Poppycock! That you see a difference in the Dims and the Repugnants gives the lie to your moniker. Their differences are cosmetic. Where the rubber meets the road, i.e. behind closed doors where the bribes change hands, they are indistinguishable.

Did you catch that part "this is one of the $24.6 BILLION 2013 tax INCREASES MANDATED by the Affordable Care Act which took effect Jan.1st" Watch out middle class America, you are going to be awakened when you pay your taxes on April 15, 2014. Why do people follow the progressives into the flames of hell? How can you mandate another $24.6 billion in taxes and expect the economy to improve?

They will work together and agree on anything that will not hinder their 2 weeks off for Easter.

Then, they will return and the war is on again. What a shame....not a bad salary for the work they actually do.

Woman - If they want to play well together the Senate will vote on the House version of the budget and pass it.

Baylie - You are a fat out liar, I doubt you pay a penny for your health care, you cheap god forsaken idiot. By law, the insurance companies are limited by how much they raise your insurance.

And what the hell do you mean, I take care of myself. You mean one of two things, you already have a good health insurance policy or your on medicare, or you are as I said earlier a liar and an idiot. Read the health care law by going to Healthcare.gov.

I will guarantee you, the people will love this law in the next 2 years as the law goes into affect and people that I know who because of pre-existing conditions from childhood illness cannot at this time buy any kind of health insurance to protect him and his family, on Janurary 1, 2014 he will be able to buy that insurance and not at a special higher price.

The fact of this story is that the biggest opponents to this law are older white people on medicare know as the Tea Party.

C M The house version of a budget is just the same old bull that repubs has been selling for the last 30+ years take form the poor and give the rich and corporatations a free ride. Over 1,0000,000 people voted against that by voting for Obama. The bill you are rooting for takes away a benefit that everyone has pay form every pay check they receive just to give people that can afford what ever they want can have more.

@ smartman1,

The ends justify the means.........

With the intiation of the sequester Republicans ultimately wanted....There is going to be more in economic savings due to lower federal deficits ahead. As such, the manufacturers tax should be the first to go. It would help to protect manufacturing jobs without letting those Fat Copoprate Cats keep the change and give the administration a route to ultimately seek tax reform for revenue by closing tax loop holes of Coporations income earned....not manufactoring tax to stiffle production. This is a worth while adjustment in light of the sequester and a good move by the Senate. This is all part of the balanced approach of raising revenue and spending cuts ($1.2 trillion by the President) Obama spoke of during the election.

Typical Congress......... do NOTHING...... and still get PAID....

The only place in the world where 2 + 2 may not equal 4......

FIRE THEM ALL............

Bill @ 2.6. I am an older white guy on Medicare who is thinking Roosevelt should have made this a part of original Social Security!

We should have had universal health care coverage since the dawn of the Cold War. If we had done it then, we would be a richer nation today. As a manufacturing manager, I know that human factors such as health issues have a profound effect of productivity. Addressing them, even if it costs more up front, saves us much more in the end. Ignoring these issues, as republicans would have us do, is a very strange anti-business attitude. Or maybe it is just dumb business. Or maybe they just fire all their workers who get sick and replace them. Nice. Perfect morale-boosting idea...

From Wikipedia:

The Second Bill of Rights was a list of rights proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944.^[1] In his address Roosevelt suggested that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second "bill of rights". Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." Roosevelt's remedy was to declare an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee:

• Employment, with a living wage
• Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
• Housing
• Medical care
• Education
• Social security

Roosevelt stated that having these rights would guarantee American security, and that America's place in the world depended upon how far these and similar rights had been carried into practice.

#2.11,,

Same old crap, a constitution of 'negative rights' preventing the govt from 'helping' you. That's what BHO had to say about the U.S. constitution. It proves BHO's knowledge of the constitution is highly flawed, or he is.

I fully understand why BHO loves FDR and his philosophies and practices. That is why I do not trust BHO. FDR was a vile man and POTUS, exampled twice.

The first, his Executive Order that illegalized private ownership of monetary gold.

The foolish & ignorant do not understand, that trading a strong gold backed currency for one that govt can manipulate at whim. Converting your year long hard work into just a month, a week, a day, or nothing at all. Effectively, reversing Lincoln's greatest work, FDR made us all slaves, by issuing paper not even worth a promise, just as any slave receives.

The second, his Executive Order that stripped citizens of their liberty without due process. It was bad enough, do such to a naturalized citizen. But to do so to a native born citizen, based upon a father's 'sin' placed FDR as a user of the same logic as the NAZIs. Doing all this in a capricious illogical manner to those whose lineage originated in Japan.

There will always be those, who excuse such actions, as necessary or something else. But I notice that those same persons are quick to reject such excuses for those not on their team, even if true.

The health device manufacturers don't pay the tax, the users of the devices pay the tax. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER TAX ON BUSINESSES. Clearly you are a LIB (Low Information Balloter).

Clearly you are smoking that Colorado stuff.

Sen. Hatch is and has Always been in Bed with the Pharmaceuticals & Medical manufacturer's.

His whole career was bought & paid for by them. Funny, he is still loading up his war chest when he said this was his last term.

It's true chris...every tax imposed on business large and small ends up being paid by the end user...like you and me. Companies simply past their costs through...pretty well known fact of Business 101

Obamacare will simply make a bad situation worse, and medical care will never get cheaper.

I'm a supporter of the Affordable Care Act, but, sorry, this tax never made sense to me.

Tax the makers of medical devices , which they will then pass on the the consumer making the devices more expensive. How does this help affordability? Makes no sense to me.

Rex - Chris is just a liberal tool that doesn't know anything about earning, taxes, or providing for himself.

Colorado man...check out the profit margin for medical device manufacturing companies and tell me you think that they can't absorb this tax without passing it on.

JayWillie - So this is a profit tax, now? Don't they already pay that in the form of income taxes? I suspect that if I checked out your income statements you could afford to pay me a tax from your welfare payments also. Are you willing to do that?

I am almost to the point of saying....."Throw the whole lot of them out".....

We already have term limits: it's called your vote.

CB,

While I would like to agree with you I have one reservation.

It seems most people feel it's the other guys representative who is the problem, and they keep re-electing their own.

We already have term limits: it's called your vote.

Yea, too bad there isn't an IQ test for voters to see if they're smart enough to even vote. Just look at some of the people they vote in like 'Island Tip Over' Johnson, 'Kill TIPS' Leahy, "170 million unemployed' Fienstien, 'Flipflop' Mccain, 'Have to Pass it before we read it' Pelosi, the list goes on and on. Hell, you look at our congress it's like you have to ride the short bus to even run for congress.

I agree. I wrote to my Senators and told them I disagreed with their vote. We need to fund the health care initiative; not go broke over it. They were bad votes. I would vote someone else in, but my only choices would be Republicans, who I disagree with on a number of ethical issues. It's between a rock and a hard place. I want new members of Congress. I also want laws restricting how much money they can use from campaigns and heavy restrictions on how much money lobbyists can pay into a candidate's campaign.

We have term limits, it's called elections. Unfortunately the Red and Blue sheep are unable to make that decision.

If you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror an ask yourself, did I vote for an incumbent?

IAMMYOWNWOMAN,

The Republicans have tried to pass an ammendment to limit the number of terms that Senators have to 2 and that a member of the House of Representatives could have to three.

It was voted on on February 2nd, 2012 and was rejected on a vote of 24-75 with.

All but one of the 24 that voted for the ammendment were Republicans. The only Democrat to vote for it was Senator Manchin of West Virginia.

23 Republicans joined with 50 Democrats and 2 Independents to vote against the proposed ammendment saying that "we should let Americans decide on how many terms we can serve."

The ammendment was proposed by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

It was meant to be attached to the STOCK Act, which was legislation that was designed to prevent Congress from passing any Financial legislation "using non-public information derived from their official positions for personal benefit and for other purposes". The STOCK Act was passed by the Senate on February 2nd, 2012 with a vote of 96-3. With the only Senators voting against it were Senators Bingaman (D-NM), Senator Burr (R-NC), and Senator Coburn (R-OK).

Term limits serve no purpose.... we need....

1) An EDUCATED electorate

2) Close the Congressional offices & turn them into a hotel

3) Once a quarter, the Congress would be booked into the "hotel" for voting

4) The rest of the time, every member would LIVE and breath in their own districts, be REQUIRED to hold weekly meetings with US.... their BOSSES..... and be within arms reach when legislation is being reviewed for passage

Help take the DC (Damn Congress) out of Washington

Can you provide links to the articles or data to support your claims?

Shepherd - You people who are so worried about taxes and not about health cost, that will bankrupt a family long before taxes will ever do it.

One bad day with out health insurance and your financial future could be ruined and you think paying a little more in taxes will put you on food stamps faster? You make NO sense.

Please name this company that was going to creat hundreds of jobs but change their minds because of health care cost or some kind of tax? What about all the small businesses that are going to get help with giving their employees health care benefits, would create more jobs in itself.

That is what big business has done to you people; they have convinced you they are not getting rich enough even though the statistics prove that the rich and powerful are doing quite well and seem inclined to take advantage of, and, trending torward lower pay, more production for them at less cost. When are businesses going to start taking care of the people who really make them successful. The American worker.

All of a sudden you guys are the high information voters? Bull S#$T!

I had a friend who got cancer. She had health insurance, but lost her job because of her illness (needing time off for treatments and therapy, surgeries etc) Lost her health insurance, house and had to declare bankruptcy. How is obamacare going to help her get and keep her house?

Bill....Several points....

First: Name the company....Cook Medical was all over the news in July...where were you?

Cook Medical, an Indiana-based medical equipment manufacturer, last week said it's nixing plans to open five new plants in the next five years -- claiming the tax will cost between $15 million and $30 million a year, cutting into money that would otherwise go toward expanding into new facilities in the Midwest.

'Unfortunately, we have had to shelve these expansion plans and look overseas for that,' Allison Giles, vice president for federal affairs with the company, told FoxNews.com. 'It's a huge amount for us.'

2nd...."paying a little more in taxes"....you do realize that any tax or regulatory burden created and placed on business becomes a cost of living increase for every consumer purchasing their goods or services...Don't you?....From your post, you likely don't realize this. The sense, if you were to stop and think about it, is hitting you in your pocket book, everyday.....Everyday you are keeping less and less of your hard earned money to take care of your family.

As my cost of living goes up (and it has over 25% during the last 4 years, -Gas is 2X what it cost me before Obama) I have to cut back on expenses elsewhere. Why.....because I choose to not spend more than I bring in. And what does that mean....I spend less to fuel the economy......

3rd....If businesses cannot increase their prices nor profitability, they cannot offer benefits (including healthcare, 401K matching, etc.)....By taking more and more from them or making them uncompetitive in the global market, they must cut costs somewhere to remain a viable business. Labor is the highest % of their cost structure.

4th...Have you ever sat down with your employer and ask how Obamacare, the over 6000 new regulations implemented by Obama since August 2012 and any other new taxes that are hitting the business is impacting their ability to stay in business or more close to home, how it will impact your job? Likely not, since if had (and I have) you would begin to understand this administration is anti-business and it is their policies that are hurting the economy (outside of Washington, DC!)

5th...I have always been a "high information voter", since I was raised under the guidance that my vote is critical and to not be a high information voter is being negligent.

A simple vote is not enough on this one (post #6.2)...Well said Bill-314065!!

It's not being dismantled, it was a symbolic vote. Know what that means?

The Supreme Court upheld ACA, it is the law of the land. By 2014 it will be fully implemented. Don't be fooled by the bi-partisan games being played in Congress.

Sorry but the real left wants a single payer system not this unworkable formerly republican idea.

Which will never happen.

The Supreme Court upheld ACA, it is the law of the land

Upheld it if it was a tax, but not forcing people to buy insurance. Is it now the health care tax and if it is when did congress vote to impose this tax? Did I miss something?

FOLWNY - The right wing of your party is destroying what is left of a vialble working class. You want the kind of working conditions your boy Romney was bragging about in China.

"they had workers, piled in dorms, working 20 hour shifts and armed gaurds, keeping all the people out who wanted to work there." (you really do not believe that crap do you?) Well that is what they want from us, wages so low that we are forced to work two jobs, with NO paid vacations, NO health benefits, NO raises; your unmitigated stupidy and desire to vote and politic against your own self presevation is mind boggling.

They even have you hating union people who have good paying jobs, please tell me why in the hell do we want our kids to go to college if it is not to get a good paying job with benefits.

Good luck with that regressive budget that Ayn Rand fan has all laid out for you.

Obama will do whatever it takes to make sure his legacy is financed and working. The ACA will never be repealed and to attempt so is futile. Like Medicare and Social Security this social program will bring America back in line with the rest of the first world countries. It will take time.

The opponents are those who think they will lose money, the private insurance companies. But as you spread the risk out over more people and have less uninsured taxing the ER's (and ultimately YOU) costs will go down.

Now a law must be passed to rein in HC costs. The ACA doesn't do that, but a plan similar to Germany or even Medicare where costs are capped is the answer to lowering costs for everyone.

Americans have a right to work for a decent wage and to stay healthy and get treated promptly without losing their shirts. If you want to know who's stopping you from doing that - look at the erosion of personal and worker's rights. One party supports the workers and personal rights, one does not. Luckily, the TEA party is on its last legs and the Repubs are not far behind, what ever party replaces them will have to deal with those issues and not regress back to the 1900's for their ideology.

Bill -

Easy to say when the left wing of the democrat party has dumbed down the voting base so much thay don't know how to think for themselves.

Hey Tammy: Isn't it time for you to be watching your favorite comedy show, Hannity? And by the way, it is called the Democratic Party. That is like calling the Republican Party the Republic Party. Talk about not being able to think for yourself! Keep learning from those Comedian's on Fox!

One nation - If Tammy is a Republican, does that then make you a Democratic?

btw - It is the democrat party.

Stevejc42 No it isn't. It has been called the Democratic Party since before you were born. Until Rush and the Tea Party decided to call it something else because Democratic sounded too much for the country. Are you related to Tammy or just watch the same comedy network?

PGH0224,

Yea....you did miss something, Bozo. Article 1 and Section 8 of the Constitution guarantees Gov't SHALL be granted power to TAX interstate commerce (INSURANCE COMPANIES) if their business adversely effects a US economy causing undue bankruptcies. Just like the dying/sick policy holders whose insurance companies terminated their policies due to coverage limits with the ensuing home foreclosures resulting from private pay for life saving treatments denied to them by insurance companies by termination of coverage. Why do we have to spell out everything from within the Constitution to dumb ass Republicans??? Do you all only think our Constitution guarantees guns and slavery???

so goes the idiotic logic of FAILED PROGRESSIVES. you decide who should be taxed to death. and when your idiotic aganda fails; and it always does; point a finger at anybody to the Right of you.

the net profit margin of health insurance companies is 3.7%. the net profit margin of Internet/Tech companies is 13.1%.

someone has been feeding you talkin points; they think you're stupid.

i agree.

Bruce Morgan Williams.....Now let me get this straight.....

You are now complaining about your tax dollars being used for Medicare/Medicaid to pay for healthcare and now are unhappy because you have traced your tax dollars to a medical device company that produces tools to help identify disease and keep you healthy.....

Wow, I don't know where to start....

Well I do, the sad part is that it has taken the virtual bankruptcy of a nation to wake up those who thought others should "pay their fair share" and now they have become the "others"....

Almost laughable if it wasn't so serious.....

And on the contrary it is dramatically increasing the cost of healthcare for all of us while accelerating our debt increase.

It was passed when the insurance companies thought they were going to make a killing on the individual mandate. Then, after they passed it and saw what was in it, they decided they wanted a do over. Ha ha.

No one's coming up with a better solution; best to beat the tar out of the only thing that's out there. Do you maybe think he came up with it in the first place, rather than have nothing like the the last, oh, I don't know, 3 or 4 presidents?

Just like in Ryan's budget...repeal the ACA ....(but keep the taxes it collects)...so no HC benefits but all of the taxes... GO RYAN BUDGET, if at first you don't succeed...and at second you don't succeed...try-try again...and again...and again.

@ Truthcomeshere,

I see no truth in your statement. Obamacare is NOT to blame for Insurance Companies deciding to raise their own premiums. That would compare to an illogical analogy laws requiring car registration for every car owner is responsible for Auto manufacturers raising the sticker price on their automobiles. And that laws requiring all drivers have auto insurance coverage are to blame for raising auto insurance premiums. Why haven't Republicans ever said that???? Requiring every person to have health care insurance increases insurance company business bolstering profits. Not vice versa.........hello??? It's a retaliation tactic by Insurance companies attempting to publicly blame the ACA law. Except, it is they (insurance companies) who are raising their own premiums giving themselves greater profit. Not a case of raising premiums to stabilize historical profits. Otherwise, they would present those historical statistics. And they haven't done that because math would prove them wrong. The Public Option would settle this cat and mouse game quickly. If they keep this crap up (insurance raising premiums).....we should just amend a public option to ACA for those unemployed disabled customers seeking health insurance coverage....end of story.

look at this left-wing nutjob babbling!! she's all over the place.

calm down leftard. here is what happened. the GOP passed a whole budget. THE DEM do-nothing Senate passed a kick the can down the road temporary continuing resolution

folwnj

You need to turn off Faux...shut down Rush & Hannity & Beck....and Read the Senate/House bills Before You shoot your Uninformed mouth Off!! Remember..DUMB is forever. Go back to school JR,

The GOP/Baggers Know they are losers. They just wrote the Obituary for the party.

BTW I Was a 20 year card caring GOP. (Up until the baggers )

Did you even take the time to read the article? It was clearly referring to all the democrats who voted FOR obamacare, and now AGAINST the rise in taxes. Or are you just spewing your hatred of anything that doesn't line up with your ideology? Where's your outrage at Reid, who has refused to even allow a budget bill to be voted on, because he knows he can't even raise enough votes in his own party to get it passed. Or you can just use the left's typical addage, "I was for it, before I was against it...". Smh.

actually we get the tactic very well. Say anything, promise everything and threaten everyone to get your way. Then when it hits the fan blame everyone else. Hey libs the polls show the President is more hated than Bush in the Middle East. By your previous standards that means he's got to go! We can't have the U.S. hated around the world you know. Or maybe the Pres. can give a great big speech or hit the reset button! Yea, that's the ticket! The whining from the left when THEIR agenda crashes into the foreseeable reality is as classic as it's pathetic. Grow up Peter Pan!

Personally Bush and Cheney are the most hated president and vice-president and they can go right to Hell when they die. They killed thousands of Americans and thousands of Iraqis for a war they wanted and pawned on this country. The Affordable Care Act has already saved seniors money by providing lowered costs for prescription drugs. Seniors were provided free preventive care. President Obama has worked to close the do-nut hole and the Affordable Care Act will help so many Americans who are not now covered by their jobs.

It won't help them in the election though.

They should have never voted for that piece of excrement int he first place.

Can you provide the data to prove it's killing jobs?

"In a statement after the vote, Stephen Ubl, the president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, a group which represents American medical technology firms, said, “The reasons behind mounting support to repeal the tax are clear: Across the country, this tax is cutting high-quality jobs and investments in tomorrow's treatments and cures at companies large and small. We encourage leaders in Congress and the Administration to seize on this momentum and act to repeal this harmful tax”.

But I guess the clear evidence presented by the president of the a.m.t.a. is just a smoke screen. I mean, afterall, he's probably a very sucessful businessman, and therefore evil in the eyes of the left.

Jake Reyna

Can you provide the data to prove it's killing jobs?

If your local, state, or government taxes go up, are you more likely to maintain, raise, lower, or eliminate your kids allowance? Or skip utilities, energy, loans, taxes, etc.

What high-quality jobs? I used to work at electronics manufacturing plant that did some subcontracting for a medical manufacturer. We built heart monitors and ultrasound machines. They were crappy minimum wage jobs. A 2.3% tax would be pretty much negligible, if it weren't for the fact that the product is already marked up by 20 to 30 times what it cost to manufacture, or more.

Jake Reyna....When the medical device tax was announced the following came out within a couple of weeks. Looks like job killing to me.......

Cook Medical, an Indiana-based medical equipment manufacturer, last week said it's nixing plans to open five new plants in the next five years -- claiming the tax will cost between $15 million and $30 million a year, cutting into money that would otherwise go toward expanding into new facilities in the Midwest.

'Unfortunately, we have had to shelve these expansion plans and look overseas for that,' Allison Giles, vice president for federal affairs with the company, told FoxNews.com. 'It's a huge amount for us.'

Also, just do a little research...small businesses all over the country are laying off workers, cutting back hours to under 29 hours per week or not adding workers because of the 25-100% increase in insurance premiums that are now hitting!

I wonder why any company would say something like that...oh wait...they said it to fox news...nevermind. These are same as the douchebags who (in terrible economic times) said it was the ACA not the economy that caused their layoffs, or it was the unions (not the fact that their operations were over 60 years old) that caused the layoffs... it's all BS posturing, but keep posting the obviously biased crap again and again, those old POLLS from Fox have Mitt Romney as president too...keep telling yourself that.

Bob -

Perhaps if places like NBC and MSN would run actual news stories instead of propaganda blogs you might have heard

Sorry Tammy, blaming your failed businesses practices on the workers or a law that hasn't taken place is irresponsible. Either you ran your company well and survived the economic times or you didn't. The ACA has nothing to do with failing companies, that's simply Republican posturing and showboating. But if you want to believe that the ACA's 2% tax caused a medical manufacturer to choose profits over jobs, then that's your right... you're wrong, but it's you right to believe that lie.

Didn't know that Soros supported the unfunded Medicare Drug plan that Bush and Republicans passed, hmm.

It should be fairly obvious that "folwnj" isn't referring to anything but obamacare. Perhaps you should study up on Soros, you might find some very disturbing things if you did.

I don't think Jake would find any thing disturbing about Soros because you would have to have a brain to understand.

Recent headlines....

CBO Offers Grim Obamacare Numbers By Jillian Kay Melchior February 6, 2013 4:51 P.M.

Seven million people will lose their job-based health insurance, according to a new economic report from the Congressional Budget Office. That’s nearly double the previous estimate of 4 million.

CBO Is Increasingly Skeptical About ObamaCare (Real Clear Politics) (February 7, 2013)

The latest report from the Congressional Budget Office highlights a number of reasons why the CBO is concerned about the implementation of Obamacare. It boils down to this: Obamacare is going to be more expensive than the Obama administration thought, disrupt the marketplace more than they thought, and be tougher to implement than they thought.

CBO: Entitlements, ObamaCare To Make Up 53% of Federal Spending (CNS news, Feb, 2013)

In its updated Budget and Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday, the CBO projects that Social Security will account for $11.149 trillion in spending from 2014 to 2023 while federal health care entitlements, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ObamaCare, will spend $13.85 trillion. (That total includes TRICARE, CHIP, and "other" spending listed by the CBO under healthcare.)

Here comes the middle class tax increase....just watch.....

LOL.......That is rewriting history. Republicans start out "We are concerned that..." and the democrats interrupted covering their ears and saying "NA NA NA NA I AM NOT LISTENING" "THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING AND NOTHING YOU CAN DO WILL CHANGE IT" Of course in the interest of bipartisanship they did let us ADD anything we wanted, which kind of defeats the purpose. The type of bipartisanship and meaningful debate you guys offered was equivalent to something like this from Bush. "I know you don't want to attack Iraq, but we are going to do it anyways. However if you want to attack another country we will listen and debate that" and then have Bush turn around and complain that you didn't have meaningful debate.

No, republicans started out with "death panels" and "euthanizing granny" and "illegals will be covered".

They had no appetite at all for providing health care to the poor then or now.

Troll alert......DNC campaign talking points......disproven many times.....

Once again Mark Thomas chooses misinformation over fact.....

Mark Thomas-371822

No, republicans started out with "death panels" and "euthanizing granny" and "illegals will be covered".

They had no appetite at all for providing health care to the poor then or now.

Sadly, there will be fewer doctors to go around. Obamacare has created booming "concierge medicine" medical business. For those that can afford it, pay $1,500+ per year to have immediate access to your physician. For those that can afford it, it's cutting the waiting line. For the physicians that are doing it, they can cut their patient list by 75%+ and have $1M just in concierge fees to be able to offer the "old-fashioned" family doctor care.

Meanwhile, with less doctors and the addition of millions of new insureds, guess where the not-so-well-off will stand?

At the end of the long line.

Mark has to, he has no facts what so ever and only spouts DNC talking points, even from 3 years ago that has already been debunked.

It's a fact that republicans wanted nothing to do with providing health care for the poor. It's a fact their only contribution was to lie about the plan.

If you think that these companies are going to absorb that tax,you should probably keep your opinions on business to yourself.

For them, it's more like 2,300,000 out of 100 million.

RE, you should take a Business 101 course as it seems you have no idea how a business works. But then, no liberals do! My bad!

Liberal here, contractor, successful, can now insure my guys, something I could never do before.

RE.....you may want to do a little research on medical device profitability... net profits are less than 10%...

Second, take a $100 million dollar business. 2.3% new tax then takes $2.3 million right out of profit. That lowers the profit margin which goes to business expansion, hiring new workers, covering increased costs etc.

Just think how many new workers that could hire or keep them in position to provide benefits...

I would also recommend you sit down with the owners/leaders of your employer and ask them how Obamacare, the 6000 new regulations implemented by Obama since August 2012 and the other new taxes is impacting their business and more importantly, how it could impact your job.

no shepherd... we have heard this trickle down BS before. profits go to one place and that is the pockets of the owners, CEOs etc. You are foolish if you think business owners are just dying to hire people....they are not

If they have a profit problem, it's because they pay their sales people too much, not because they aren't gouging the customers enough!

Here's my solution. Rich (and companies) get taxed 90%. For every net, new, full time AMERICAN job they create they get a 100% payroll tax break for that employee for that year. That should be incentive enough to do what the Repubs pretend they've been doing for years...creating jobs.

This way the accountants, dentists, doctors in clinics, and other "rich" folk who get a break but don't create jobs don't get the benefits from that break anymore. Either you create jobs and get a break or you don't...anybody with me?

Oh, and cut all Pharm, Large Farm and Oil company subsidies...and the military by 5%. See how fast jobs and the economy turn around then.

Chris were are you getting your information? read the CBO, bipartisan apolitical wing of the government.

Actually the ACA was to deal with uninsured. It does nothing directly to affect HC costs. If you want that, we would need to go to a single payer system and cap medical profits like Medicare does. For some reason (Repubs, Pharm and Med lobby) those ideas didn't make it into the ACA. Maybe if you want lower costs, you need to encourage your representatives to support those changes.

Right now young people can stay on their parents insurance plan until they are 26. No one with a pre-existing condition will be denied care any longer. The full program of the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in 2014. That means that there will be exchanges in every state where people can go to choose insurance if they are not provided health care benefits by their employers. The costs for the poor will be supplemented.

jblast,

You're full of sh*t. You dare to compare Obama's economy to a GOP Bush who presided over a economic catastrophe second only to the 1929 Depression ????? The worst US economic state in our entire history as a country with Bush's economy taking second worst. And you still dare to compare???? You are delusional, my friend.

FY 2009 Federal deficit was $1.4 trillion as Bush left the WH Jan 2009.

FY 2012 Federal deficit is at $901 billion after +4 years with Obama.

This a reduction in spending of $499 billion in comparison to his Republican counterpart.

BTW......$16 trillion Public Debt is NOT Gov't spending. So don't even go there. A Federal deficit and Public Debt are two different things. And you haven't learned that yet.

INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE RUN BY WALL STREET INVESTORS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!

AJ

Did it ever occur to you that somebody has to pay for all the free birth control. High risk insurance and all that free stuff for the poor? It is every working American. Insurance companies profits have been eliminated by Obama care. If you are working and have no insurance you get a choice next year. Pay IRS a fine for no medical insurance our buy it at inflated prices. Don't worry the non workers will get all that for free...

Aunt Anna,

Did it ever occur to you unplanned births are directly responsible for food stamps-welfare at a greater cost than Birth control pills???? Hello?????

"Did it ever occur to you that somebody has to pay for all the free birth control. High risk insurance and all that free stuff for the poor? It is every working American"

Of course. I fail to see a problem. The poor are American Citizens, just as I am. I am lucky to have a good job and be able to pay taxes to help my fellow countrymen. I love my country, which means I love the PEOPLE within my country, not a colored rag or prideful hymn.

Don't you love your country too? How can you consider yourself to be a patriot if you don't care about the suffering of your less-fortunate countrymen? Since when is individual greed better than community generosity?

That's actually not a bad plan, if we would slowly lower the age requirements and keep Medicare's ability to cap health care costs, then we'd eventually have universal healthcare. Medicare runs on a 3% overhead for administration, private health care is 20%+, who do you think pays for that 17% difference? Add that and the cost cap, and we're on our way to becoming a first world country again.