Another day, another promise from Democrats about their unpopular health care bill is exposed as mere rhetoric as reality shows the opposite to be true.

Throughout the health care debate last year, Americans were assured by President Obama and Democrats that their health care plans would lower health care costs and reduce government spending on health care. In his September address to a joint session of Congress, Obama said his plan “will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.” In December, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) warned that “without reform, health care expenditures will increase.” Obama said again in March this year, “[M]y proposal would bring down the cost of health care for … the federal government.” Later that month, some House Democrats based their vote for the bill on assurances the bill would lower health care costs. And when Republicans tried to point out that the Democrats’ plans would do none of these things, Baucus had a typical response: “Mr. President, the Republican Leader just a few moments ago says that this bill raises costs. With all due respect to my good friend from Kentucky, that statement is false.”

At the marathon health care summit in February, Vice President Joe Biden had one of his trademark moments of clarity when he said, “Unless we bend that cost curve, we’re in trouble.” Well, the administration appears to be in trouble. Doug Elmendorf, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, wrote yesterday that the Democrats’ health law doesn’t bend the cost curve down at all. Instead, costs are expected to increase. Elmendorf wrote, “The rising costs of health care will put tremendous pressure on the federal budget during the next few decades and beyond. In CBO’s judgment, the health legislation enacted earlier this year does not substantially diminish that pressure. In fact, CBO estimated that the health legislation will increase the federal budgetary commitment to health care . . .  by nearly $400 billion during the 2010-2019 period.” Further, Elmendorf pointed out, “Because federal health care programs make up a large share of the federal budget, putting that budget on a sustainable path would almost certainly require a significant reduction in the growth of federal spending on health care relative to the amounts projected under current law (including this year’s health legislation).”

It’s almost becoming a daily event where some news story or new government assessment of the massive health care law shows that it will not or cannot live up to the promises made about it, and will in fact make the situation worse. No wonder Americans continue to disapprove of the Democrats’ health care law and don’t really believe it will improve their own health care. The health care bill was flawed from the beginning and every week, Americans see that the promises made about it simply don’t conform with reality. The law needs to be repealed and replaced.

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60% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law

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