ACA Supporting Business Owner Trounces Obamacare Bashing House Republican At Town Hall

By: Jason Easley/politicususa

In a must see video, a business owner takes ACA repeal supporting House Republican Rep. Joe Heck to task for wanting to repeal Obamacare. House Republicans might want to rethink running against the ACA in 2014.

Video:

Q9: ACA. I hear reps from GOP say it’s going to hurt business, hurt business, hurt business. But I am a business person, and I have been paying a living wage with benefits for decades. When I pay a living wage with insurance for decades, I pay for the people who don’t have insurance. People with insurance pay $600 every year for people who don’t have insurance when they go to the emergency room. You mentioned, it would get people that are not insured, insured. It’s also suppose to better the cost curve, and it has been saving me costs. It has put money in my pocket. I received tax credits for doing what I’ve always done; giving my employees access to health care and pay for that. No co-pay for wife’s well woman exam. No co-pay for child check-up. The insurance exchanges are ready to rock on the first [of January]. I already looked. Same company I’m buying insurance now, I’ll be able to buy the same policy, 90% less and still get my tax credit. Having people buy and insurance instead of go to the emergency room, If that’s going to foul up the system because people are getting health care that’s just wrong. Why would you oppose the ACA if it was passed by congress, passed by the senate, signed by the president, upheld by the supreme court and re-affirmed by the reelection of the President of the United States who won your district? Why would you revoke something that’s helping me now? It’s bending the cost curve and it’s going to bend the cost curve in the future? Why Congressman? Why?

Rep. Heck: First let me start off with the actual passage of the ACA. Again I wasn’t there. It passed in a Democratically controlled House and a Democratically controlled Senate. [Follow-up comment: Thank God] Passed in middle of night. Just like Immigration Senate bill, nobody had chance to read it. Democrats that drafted it say it’s a train wreck. There are good things in the bill to keep and there are bad things. The president’s re-election wasn’t an affirmation of the ACA. The President won by 8/10ths of a point. I won by 8 points here, more than President, and I ran on fixing ACA. The help you’re getting through those small business tax credits, what are you going to do when those go away? They are not there forever. [Follow-up comment: the cost curve is being bent.] The cost curve isn’t being bent. [Follow-up comment: the cost curve is being bent for me sir.] You might be the exception. Some people benefit. The vast majority aren’t. You talked about the $600 everybody was paying for the uninsured, there’s no such thing as free preventative health care. You might not be pay for it but somebody’s got to pay for it. And that payment is going to be spread across everybody that’s insured. It goes from group ratings to community ratings. Big businesses, those with over 50 FTE, are those that are truly impacted by the health care. Those with less than 50, there are good things in this bill that will help them. [Follow-up comment: And that's most of the businesses in this country.] Not really. Not less than 50. Once you have more than 50 employees. [Follow-up Q: And that's if you employee more than 50 without health insurance?] No. They have to meet the requirements the government as set. That’s going to increase your costs.

This exchange is similar to one that happened to fellow Obamacare bashing House Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina at a town hall earlier this month:

House Republicans are finding out that it isn’t 2009 anymore. They can’t just make stuff up to scare people about the ACA. People are experiencing some of the benefits of the new law, and just like the constituent in the video (Ron Nelson), they want to know why Republicans want to take away the good things that the ACA is doing?

Interestingly, the first response of Rep. Heck’s office was to label Nelson an OFA plant. Nelson admitted that he has attended some OFA meetings, but he is not an organizer for OFA, and he does live in Rep. Heck’s district. The problem that House Republicans all over the country are facing is that they can offer no practical truthful reason for repealing the ACA.

The mood is changing on Obamacare, and House Republicans may have made a fatal blunder by assuming that what worked in 2009-2010 will still work in 2013-2014. Now that people are experiencing the law for themselves, it is more difficult for Republicans to lie about it.

The Obamacare issue could end up working against House Republicans next year. If this happens it might be a tough election night for John Boehner and his crew of destruction by obstruction House Republicans.