Morning Bell: Security Violation Just the Tip of the Obamacare Iceberg
Over the weekend, Heritage brought you the exclusive story of Justin Hadley, a North Carolina man who, after learning his insurance policy was being canceled due to Obamacare, logged on to HealthCare.gov and found a big surprise—the eligibility information of another family in a different state.
It’s just the latest example of problems with the federally run insurance exchange—from design features that locked Americans out of the website, to inaccurate information about premiums, to a lack of transparency about what caused the online failures in the first place.
But Obamacare is more than just a website—and its flaws go well beyond the security violations we exposed this weekend. The violations to Americans’ personal freedom and well-being are widespread:
Violates Obama’s Promises: Across the country, millions of Americans are finding out the same news as Justin: that the insurance they have and like is being taken away from them due to Obamacare. In fact, the cancellation notices being sent due to Obamacare may well exceed the number of Americans gaining coverage as a result of the law.
Violates Families’ Pocketbooks: Justin was told that a new insurance plan with his same insurer would cost him 92 percent more in premiums. That’s because the mandates and requirements included in Obamacare are raising premiums for many Americans. A recent Heritage study found that, for those buying coverage in the private market, premiums will rise in 45 out of 50 states, in many cases doubling.
Violates Principles of Freedom: For the first time ever, Obamacare forces Americans to buy a product. And Americans don’t just have to buy health insurance—they have to buy government-approved health insurance. That’s why many Americans are losing the current coverage they have and like—because it doesn’t meet the diktats of Washington bureaucrats.
Violates Americans’ Consciences: Obamacare forces many employers to offer, and individuals to purchase, coverage that violates the core tenets of their faith regarding the protection of life. These requirements are currently being challenged in court cases across the country, as Americans protest the concept that they should have to choose between violating the law and violating their deeply held religious beliefs.
Obamacare is a deeply flawed law, and its flaws have become more apparent with each passing day. It’s not just that people’s personal data has become insecure due to government bungling—their financial security and the security of their deeply held beliefs are likewise at stake.
The American people need relief from this inherently unworkable law.
This post was originally published at The Daily Signal.