Letters (Oct. 20, 2010)

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 19 October 2010 15:57

Administration won’t admit reform failure

Americans continue to disapprove, in high numbers, of the new health-care reform law. We have now seen reports that U.S. businesses, including McDonald’s, cannot afford to comply with the new mandates in the law, warning that they will result in increased costs or dropped coverage for their workers.

The reality of this new law is so negative that the administration has resorted to handing out waivers to ease the blow at this critical time during an election year.

While I am pleased to hear Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is admitting that the new law is unworkable by making exceptions for some companies, I am disappointed that she has not extended these waivers to all who are affected.

So, while almost a million workers will be able to keep their plan, the rest will likely see their plans change and their costs go up—if they are fortunate enough to remain covered by their employer at all.

The bottom line is that these waivers are an admission by the administration that the new law isn’t working. The waivers are an attempt to hide that fact from voters in order to minimize the political fallout just before the midterm elections.

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)

Washington, D.C.