Repeal Obamacare letter

Today, members of the Obamacare Repeal Coalition, of which Citizen Outreach is a member, sent the below letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell:

With the clock ticking to open enrollment on October 1, it is abundantly clear to members of the Repeal Coalition that the structure at the heart of PPACA is simply not ready. To help the American people avoid getting hit by what Senator Max Baucus memorably referred to as “a huge train wreck coming down,” we the undersigned urge you to insist on, at minimum as part of any final deal, a one-year delay of all 2014 provisions (including mandates, subsidies, and taxes) in the upcoming CR and in fiscal negotiations with the White House.

1. Mandates. The president has already delayed the mandate for the biggest corporations unilaterally, although his legal authority to do so is questionable. Congress should lift the legal cloud on that delay and extend the same relief to individuals and small businesses by delaying the individual mandate. It is wrong to force people to participate in a system that is simply not ready.

2. Subsidies. Without a complete, workable verification system to protect taxpayers it would be reckless to allow tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to flow in subsidies. And there is a real risk that navigators, in their zeal to enroll people, will accidentally or even intentionally induce people to accept subsidies for which they do not qualify, risking steep IRS fines and audits. The money should not flow when the law’s verification provisions are not ready to be enforced.

3. Taxes. The American people should not be forced to pay higher taxes for a system that isn’t ready. Kevin Counihan, chief executive of Connecticut’s state exchange, has repeatedly said: “I wish we had one more year.” With the train wreck coming, millions of Americans feel the same way. We therefore urge you to insist on a one-year delay and we will strongly support all efforts to include one on any long-term continuing resolution, extenders package, or other negotiated budget deal this fall.

Sincerely,

Grover Norquist — Americans for Tax Reform

Chuck Muth — Citizen Outreach

Phil Kerpen — American Commitment

Heather Higgins — Independent Women’s Voice

James Capretta — Ethics and Public Policy Center

Grace Marie Turner — Galen Institute

Jim Martin — 60 Plus Association

Avik Roy — National Review

Colin Hanna — Let Freedom Ring

Gregory T. Angelo — Log Cabin Republicans

Ken Hoagland — Restore America’s Voice