When is a deadline not a deadline? When it applies to President Obama’s health care law. Already, almost 20 major provisions have been delayed or cancelled – and it’s not just minor deadlines that, as the president put it, are just a “tweak that doesn't go to the essence of the law.”  He’s proposed delaying the employer mandate, one of the central pillars of his law, and this week additional delays were announced.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, as of November 2011, the Obama administration has missed as many as one-third of the deadlines required by their own law. It seems that each week there is more news of delays of ObamaCare. First, it was the employer mandate delay, and now the administration has delayed caps on out-of-pocket expenses until 2015. Still, the administration has yet to delay the mandate for families, meaning that in 2014, Americans without health coverage will have to pay a tax of either 1% of their income or $95, whichever is greater.

These exemptions underscore the serious problems that are being seen everywhere with implementing this deeply flawed law. The president claims the insurance exchanges will be up and running by October 1 as promised, but several states are still negotiating rates with insurance companies. As the president has touted, some states, like New York and California, may see decreases in their premiums. But others, like Florida, Ohio and Tennessee will see their premiums rise.

With only a short time left before some Americans must start purchasing their insurance through the exchanges, and so little information available, I firmly believe the president should work with Congress to take action before this law does irreparable harm to our economy and health care system.  Some have suggested delaying the implementation of the law for at least a year. In July, the House passed a bill to delay the individual and employer mandates. Unfortunately, the president threatened to veto that legislation, even though he himself has already said he plans to delay the employer mandate. Why is he showing favoritism to big businesses over hard-working American families?

This week’s delay on the out-of-pocket caps is good news, as it will keep premiums lower for a longer period of time, but eventually these caps will go into effect. The math is simple: is you lower deductibles and cap out-of-pocket costs, premiums will rise. The administration continues not only to delay the inevitable but to deny the obvious: this flawed bill was the wrong answer to America’s health care crisis.

The president claims there is no replacement bill, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The House has put forth several smaller pieces of legislation to reform health care in this country. To take it a step further, in the weeks and months ahead, I will continue working with my colleagues on the Republican Study Committee’s Health Care Working Group, which I chair, and Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA) to introduce a full replacement to Obamacare. Our bill will include commonsense, market-based, patient-centered health reforms that will work for the American people. I truly hope the president gets the message. ObamaCare isn’t working; the American people don’t want this law; and the only way to move forward with real health reform is to repeal and replace this harmful bill. 

Thank you for the continued honor and privilege of being your congressman. Feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family