Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: Voting to Ensure Americans Can Keep Their Health Insurance


The Obamacare enrollment numbers were released last week and confirm what I have said all along— Obamacare was never ready for prime time. Reports are showing that enrollment numbers are only 1/5 of the previously stated White House projection, which isn’t nearly enough for the health care law to be sustainable, or affordable, long term. Only 1,662 people in North Carolina enrolled into Obamacare in October, and according to recent news reports, as many as 475,000 people in North Carolina may be receiving health insurance cancellation notices.

Even former President Bill Clinton has criticized President Obama for failing to follow through on his word by allowing for Americans to keep their current health insurance plan. He believes the president should follow through on his word—even if it means changing the law.

I spoke on the floor of the House about a couple of my constituents in Asheboro who have experienced the harmful effects of Obamacare. These constituents have had their preferred health insurance policy canceled and, to their dismay, replaced with one that is too expensive to afford. This story is just one of the many that I am hearing from constituents across the second district.

On Friday, I joined Republicans and Democrats
to pass Chairman Fred Upton’s “Keep Your Health Plan Act.” This bill would allow for insurers to continue offering individuals their current health care plan through 2014. I believe in supporting this bill, as it is unfair for the President and Democratic members of Congress to decide that a family’s healthcare plan is “inadequate.” Nationwide, women make 80 percent of the healthcare decisions that affect their families. So by cancelling a family’s insurance plan, the Obama administration is now saying they know what is best for you and your family. Unlike the “administrative fix” the president announced last week during his press conference, this bill serves a real solution to the problem at hand.

The Healthcare.gov website has been a complete failure, but the problems with Obamacare go far beyond the website. Last week in the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Subcommittee on Health held a hearing called “Obamacare Implementation Problems: More than Just a Broken Website.” Click here to watch video of the hearing.

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Pathetic Enrollment Numbers

I released the following statement last week regarding the latest Obamacare enrollment numbers, which were announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

“Today’s Obamacare enrollment numbers are pathetic. At the current pace, this law will not be financially sustainable for 6 years according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Meanwhile, my office is receiving letters from families across North Carolina telling us that their health insurance plans are being cancelled and their premiums are going through the roof. Nationwide, more than 5 million people have received cancellation notices on health insurance plans they were promised they could keep. I will continue to work tirelessly to repeal this law before it can inflict any more damage on our economy and the American people.”

This afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services released enrollment numbers for the first month of the Obamacare exchanges. The numbers revealed that a mere 100,000 people signed up through the state and federal insurance marketplaces. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that in order for the law to avoid financial collapse, at least 7 million Americans will need to sign up through the exchanges in 2014. At the current pace, that would take approximately 6 years to accomplish.”

#KeepYourPlan

Last week, I spoke on the floor of the House about Asheboro constituents Marion and Donald who had their health insurance policy canceled. After having their preferred health policy canceled, they then realized their premiums were going to increase exponentially as a direct result of Obamacare. Click here or on the image above to hear their story.

Visit ellmers.house.gov to share your Obamacare story with me.

“Redefining” the Promise

The president said at least 29 times over the past 3 years that you can keep your current health insurance plan under Obamacare. Before finally admitting he broke his promise to millions of Americans, the president tried to redefine his earlier statement by misstating what he said 29 times previously. Click here or on the image below to hear his revised statement.

In the News

A frequent Obamacare critic, Rep. Ellmers says GOP has its own plan
McClatchy – Raleigh News & Observer
Ellmers, a nurse from Dunn and whose district includes parts of Wake County, called it “a political maneuver to buy time.” She said she would “work tirelessly to repeal and replace this terrible law.” She’s been a frequent Republican critic of Obama’s signature domestic accomplishment on national and local television. But last summer, she took a more low-profile role as one of eight members of the conservative Republican Study Committee who drafted their own version of a health insurance overhaul over the summer. She said it was a response to legitimate criticism that Republicans wanted to get rid of Obamacare, but had never offered an alternative.

Rep. Renee Ellmers on Obama’s 1 Year Policy Reprieve
The Bill LuMaye Show
Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) spoke with Bill following today’s reversal by President Obama on Americans keeping their insurance.

Obama administration posts low health care signups
CBS 5 WRAL
Republican 2nd District Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, a frequent critic of the health care law, called the initial enrollment figures “pathetic.” “At the current pace, this law will not be financially sustainable for six years, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office,” Ellmers said in a statement. “Meanwhile, my office is receiving letters from families across North Carolina telling us that their health insurance plans are being cancelled and their premiums are going through the roof. Nationwide, more than 5 million people have received cancellation notices on health insurance plans they were promised they could keep.”

GOP Pounces on Weak Obamacare Enrollment Report
PJ Media
Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) noted that “at the current pace, this law will not be financially sustainable for 6 years according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).” “Meanwhile, my office is receiving letters from families across North Carolina telling us that their health insurance plans are being cancelled and their premiums are going through the roof,” she added.