Peters bails out on Obamacare

UPDATE: This post was updated on 11/20/13 to correct the details on the Upton bill. That legislation would not permanently grandfather health care plans purchased in the individual market. In addition, the White House statement stating the reasons why President Obama will veto the bill is included below.

Largely overlooked in last Friday’s House vote to alter Obamacare is that Congressman Gary Peters, who has staunchly defended and applauded the Affordable Care Act for years, voted for the House Republican bill to substantially alter the ACA.

The 39 House Democrats who bailed on the president consisted almost entirely of lawmakers who represent swing districts that pose tough re-election bids in 2014. But Peters resides in one of the safest districts in Michigan, a Deep Blue territory that largely consists of southeast Oakland County.

Peters turned his back on Obamacare because he faces a potentially tough race in 2014 for U.S. Senate, not because he’s worried about re-election to the House. Peters is favored to defeat the GOP’s presumptive nominee, former Michigan secretary of state Terri Lynn Land, but the Republican Party has relentlessly pounded Peters for standing by an Obamacare system that has been a disaster so far.
 
Regardless of his reasoning, Peters voted for a bill sponsored by fellow Michigan Congressman Fred Upton, a west Michigan Republican, that would alter the ACA by reverting back to the old ways in the individual insurance market.

Unlike President Obama’s 1-year reprieve, Upton, a west Michigan Republican, would also allow anyone to go into the individual market in the short term and purchase a low-cost, low-quality plan, even if it doesn't meet Obamacare standards.

That would dramatically undermine the entire ACA system by creating two different “risk pools” within the insurance industry – one for healthy people willing to gamble on a catastrophic, financially ruinous illness or injury in the future; and one for people who have had a few health problems – from minor to major – that just want comprehensive coverage and peace of mind.

The president has promised to veto the Upton bill. I wonder if the White House is now promising not to lift a finger to help Peters’ Senate campaign.

______________________________________________________________________

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

O F F I C E O F M A N A G E M E N T A N D B U D G E T

W AS H I N G T O N , D . C . 2 0 5 0 3

 

November 14, 2013

STATEMENT OF

ADMINISTRATION

POLICY

H.R. 3350

–

Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013

(Rep. Upton, R-MI, and 161

cosponsors)

 

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R.

3350 because it threatens the health

care security of hard working, middle class families.

The Nation is experiencing the slowest

growth in health spending in the last 50 years.

Since 2008, growth in private health insurance

spending stayed between three and four percent –

significantly lower than earlier this decade

when growth reached almost 12 percent.

With health care costs rising at such low rates, this bill

would be a major step back.

 

H.R. 3350 rolls back the progress made by allowing insurers

Insurers to continue to sell new plans

that deploy practices such as not offering

coverage for people with pre-existing

conditions, charging women more

than men, and continuing yearly caps on

the amount of care that enrollees receive.

The Administration supports policies that

allow people to keep the health plans that

they have. But, policies that reverse the

progress made to extend quality, affordable

coverage to millions of uninsured, hardworking,

middle class families are not the solution.

Rather than refighting old political battles to

sabotage the health care law, the Congress

should work with the Administration to

improve the law and move forward.

If the President were presented with H.R.

3350, he would veto it.