Repeal Obamacare Bill Effort By Bachmann Is All About Cost [Op-Ed]

COMMENTARY | The repeal Obamacare bill filed by Republican Michele Bachmann is sure to be shot down by the 113th Congress. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the 112th Congress, and specifically the Republican-controlled House, tried 33 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act written by by Obama and the Democrat-controlled Senate. Republicans claim these continued efforts are largely due to the individual mandate forcing everyone to purchase private health insurance combined with the high levels of pork and spending stuffed into the bill.

While the 112th Congress was extremely unpopular with the public the odd part is the 113th Congress is pretty much the same set of characters with the exception of a few chairs being shifted. While it’s unfortunate that many other important issues are being ignored, the 113th Congress should be focused on budget problems and the upcoming financial Super Cliff. If the Federal deficit is not fixed and national debt is not reduced to sustainable levels then America won’t be able to afford much of anything in the first place.

The US Constitution says all spending bills must originate in the House. Legislation like the repeal Obamacare bill has derisively been called “political theater” since failed bills waste time and money. Repealing Obamacare has cost the country over $48 million so far, and that’s discounting the cost of ignoring other issues like the relief package for Hurricane Sandy victims. Although, according to Before It’s News that one was shot down only because the Democratic Senate version of the bill was comprised of 95 percent pork spending that has nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy relief.

The House Republicans have been passing many budgets to avoid the Financial Cliff only to get shot down each time by Senate Democrats. The Senate has not been able to pass a budget in years. Even Obama’s attempts at creating a budget were voted down unanimously by fellow Democrats. If that budget had been passed by time Obama was out of office the national debt would have exceeded $20 trillion.

At noon today, I introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal Obamacare in its entirety.

— Michele Bachmann (@MicheleBachmann) January 3, 2013

So this overall financial morass is what sets up the claimed necessity for the repeal Obamacare bill efforts by Bachmann. The Affordable Care Act was ironically named since, instead of making things more affordable, it’s going to have the opposite effect for the majority of American families. As we all know by now, raising taxes during a recession is not a good idea and the Supreme Court only allowed Obamacare to stand as a tax.

The $1.68 trillion — or $1.76 / $1.78 trillion depending on which estimate you reference — health care tax package is projected by USA Today to increase the number of insured by 3.6 million, with 30 million people still left uninsured. This multi-trillion cost is spread over 10 years, so in essence we’re paying $49,444.45 in annual taxes per person. Of course, this does not count the massive amount of pork spending, so in reality the tax cost per person is probably far less if you’re considering only the healthcare portions of the Obamacare legislation.

Still, a Congressional Budget Office report points out that the cost of being uninsured under Obamacare will fall disproportionately on the backs of middle and lower class families, with more than 70 percent of extra taxes being paid for by those taxpayers earning below 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Another CBO report estimates that 6 million people will be subject to $7 billion in extra Obamacare taxes by 2016, which amounts to each person paying at least $695. The CBO is known for underestimating the actual cost of Congressional legislation so the extra taxes being levied on families may be significantly higher.

Do you think the repeal Obamacare bill should be supported now that you know the cost of Obamacare that will be paid by the middle class?