On the recordMarch 17, 2011
as three of my colleagues have already noted this morning, President Obama's health care law turns 1 next week, and in my view it hasn't been aging very well. On the eve of its 1-year anniversary, I too would like to review a few key developments related to the law and its implementation and note that, at least to me, it is very clear this bill has not become more popular with Americans but decreasingly popular. Let us go back to March 23, 2010, just about 1 year ago. That is when the President signed this health care bill into law. Later, that very day, 13 States filed a lawsuit against it in a Florida Federal court. Another 13 States have joined the suit since. In addition, Virginia filed its own separate lawsuit on the day of enactment. May 11, 2010. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revised upward its cost estimate of ObamaCare. According to the CBO, ObamaCare will cost $115 million more than originally estimated, pushing the cost of the program to over $1 trillion. June 2010. With public opinion still decidedly against the law, a poll at that time found that 58 percent of Americans supported repeal. The Department of Health and Human Services launched a public relations campaign to try to change people's minds. Many seniors received a pamphlet from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that made claims such as: Your guaranteed Medicare benefits won't change--whether you get them through original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan.…
