By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Friday, Congressman Mike Rogers (R) from Saks issued a written statement objecting to an expected announcement by the Administration that would delay the open enrollment date of Obamacare for 2015 by a month.
Representative Rogers said, “President Obama continues to play shameful political games with his failing healthcare law. This most recent move could keep the American public from fully seeing the financial impact of Obamacare on their lives at an important time.”
Rep. Rogers said that, “An American Enterprise Institute (AEI) study estimates that up to 100 million Americans employed by small businesses could lose their coverage during open enrollment in 2014 as a result of Obamacare and the loss of the special exemption for businesses given by the Administration for this year.”
Rep. Rogers continued, “By delaying the next enrollment date, I believe President Obama is intentionally trying to deny Americans adequate information about their health insurance to keep his flawed law in place. As we have seen already this year, Obamacare is a monumental disaster and should be repealed before it imposes even more damage to American citizens and our nation’s economy.”
“We have seen this type of alarming behavior by the Obama Administration before. The failure of Administration officials to come clean with the American people in the aftermath of the murder of the American Ambassador and staff by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya is one example. Another is the targeting of Tea Party groups by IRS officials. Both demonstrate the willingness of the Administration to use their powers to withhold information from the American people for what appears to be for political purposes. The American people and our nation deserve much better,” Rogers said.
Rogers pointed out if the delay happens it will push the current 2014 deadline from October 15 to November 15, just after the midterm elections.
On Friday November 15, Rep. Rogers voted for, H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act which passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bill would allow Americans who want to keep their non-Affordable Care Act insurance to keep their plans.
Rogers said, “This legislation, introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), would allow health care plans on the individual market to remain available so people could have the option to keep their current health care plans…Although this bill would help in the short term, there is no substitute for getting rid of Obamacare altogether.”
Rep. Rogers voted against President Obama’s unpopular federal takeover of the health care insurance industry in 2010 and has consistently supported efforts to repeal the legislation which gives the federal government unprecedented powers over insurers, healthcare providers, businesses, and the American people.
Congressman Mike Rogers is the Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee and is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Agriculture committees.
