Dear Friend,

President Obama’s health care legislation has been law for over six months now. I asked a lot of questions about the legislation before I voted against it and the Administration made a lot of promises. While our system was in need of reform, this was a bad bill that Texans did not want. We are all seeing the consequences of what happens when Washington does not listen.   

Last week the fast-food giant McDonalds notified federal regulators that it may be forced drop nearly 30,000 of their hourly worker’s health insurance plans unless the federal government waives a new requirement imposed by the new health care law. The administration has since indicated they may consider a special exemption.  If they do not act middle-class and low-wage earners could lose access to affordable health care coverage. In addition, 3M Corporation announced it will stop offering group health insurance to all of its retirees in 2015 because of the new legislation. Finally, a new study by the Hewitt Group estimates that premiums for employer-sponsored health care coverage will rise by 8.8 percent in 2011 compared to 6.9 percent in 2010.

These recent announcements come in the wake of other big employers, such as Caterpillar, hinting that it will be cheaper for them to drop coverage for their employees, pay a fine, and push them into the proposed health care exchange to take effect in 2014.  I will continue to share these examples with you as they become more common. They are concerning but not unexpected. It is my hope that soon this flawed legislation can be revisited in Congress and we can enact common sense health care reform that will improve the lives of millions of Americans.  
 

Sincerely,


Kay Granger