Yesterday, House Republicans announced that they would begin fulfilling their Pledge to America to repeal the job-killing, trillion-dollar ObamaCare law and replace it with better solutions to bring down the cost of health care.  Democrats, who have made clear that their “top party priority” is defending the job-killing health care law, are refusing to level with the American people about the true cost of implementing their government takeover of health care that includes $2.3 trillion in new spending.   

When President Obama was desperately attempting to sell Americans on the job-killing heath care law, he promised that he would “not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits – either now or in the future.”  However, within weeks of the law’s passage, a report issued by the Obama Administration’s own Medicare actuary estimated that national health care spending will increase by $311 billion over the next 10 years on account of the new law – a figure that the report warned “could get bigger, since Medicare cuts in the law may be unrealistic and unsustainable.” (The Associated Press, 4/23/10)

In fact, an analysis conducted by incoming Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) shows that the true cost of the job-killing health care law will “add [more than] $700 billion in red ink over the next decade, as health-care costs send the debt spiraling out of control.”  Here is a by-the-numbers look at how Democrats’ budgetary sleight of hand will end up costing taxpayers billions:

• $115 billion to set up and administer new spending programs:  When Democrats submitted the job-killing health care bill to the Congressional Budget Office to determine its cost, they did not include funding to set up and administer the massive overhaul, including the cost of hiring new health-care bureaucrats to run the new spending programs, as well as thousands of IRS agents to enforce the new mandates.

• $521 billion in double-counted off-sets:  Social Security will receive an additional $53 billion in higher payroll tax revenue as a result of the new law.  Instead of setting aside this revenue for promised Social Security benefits, the bill spends it on new subsidies.  Democrats claim they are extending solvency of Medicare by cutting $398 billion from the program, but they simultaneously claim that these savings will offset new subsidy programs.  CBO has made clear these savings cannot be used twice.  The Democrats’ bill created the CLASS program, a brand new long-term care entitlement.  Over the first ten years, the program would take in $70 billion in premiums, but instead of setting money aside to pay for future benefits, the bill spends the premiums on new subsidies. 

• $208 billion in additional Medicare costs: The Democrats’ bill originally included the “doc fix” that CBO estimated would add $208 billion in costs to the bill.  Democrats removed this provision to lower the estimated cost of the bill, but promised doctors that they would enact the fix later, thereby delaying - but not eliminating - the cost. 

BETTER SOLUTIONS.  In addition to repealing the job-killing health care law, Republicans have introduced legislation directing relevant committees to develop health care solutions that address 12 specific goals, including: fostering economic growth and private sector job creation by eliminating job-killing policies and regulations, lowering health care premiums through increased competition and choice, increasing the number of insured Americans, protecting the doctor-patient relationship, and prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortions.  As the 112th Congress gets underway, Republicans will continue their effort to protect American jobs and promote real health care solutions that will not add to the sea of red ink in Washington.