Ernst Stands up for Iowans Hurt by the Unaffordable Care Act

WASHINGTON – During a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) laid out the consequences and crushing weight of health care costs Iowans are facing due to the Unaffordable Care Act.

Ernst talked about her own farm family’s experiences, particularly in dealing with pre-existing conditions, and pointed out how Obamacare ignores the realities of self-employment, seasonal cash flow, and the absence of large corporate employers across rural America:

“Because of this horrible system that is out there, some families are not able to choose to do what they want to do, and they've been driven into other opportunities. But Democrats in Congress have branded Obamacare as a chance to bend the cost curve downward… As it turns out, the only thing it's bending is the bottom lines of every farmer, whether they're in Sioux Center or over to Keokuk in Iowa. And the numbers don't lie. Farmers and their families are subsidizing a broken system that doesn't serve them. Rural America needs solutions that don't force spouses to find off-farm work or forego health insurance altogether. Premiums for both plans, on and off the exchanges are going up for individuals and small groups, in large part due to the Unaffordable Care Act's many mandates. This is particularly challenging for self-employed folks and small businesses.”

Watch Ernst’s remarks  here.

Ernst furthered her point when Mr. White, president of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, emphasized that “[Obamacare] is not good coverage. This is really inferior coverage compared to what we see in Farm Bureau plans, in small businesses, and large businesses.”

Ernst highlighted the waste, fraud, and abuse within Obamacare that Mr. Blasè, founder and president of Paragon Health Institute, acknowledged existed, saying, “The Biden-era COVID expansion of the subsidies led to massive increases in fraud in the program. The availability of fully subsidized plans allowed bad actors, brokers, and agents to advertise things like free gift cards and cash to get people's information to sign them up for plans.”

Ernst called on the Democrats to reopen the federal government so that Congress can “have a robust discussion about what is wrong with Obamacare” and “find accessible ways to provide health care to individuals, affordable choices. Then we need to identify all of the failures within this system.”

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