GOP Bill To ‘Save Workers’ Would Actually Strip Healthcare From A Million Workers, CBO Reports

The Republican battle against the Affordable Care Act just can’t catch a break. First, the website is repaired and currently runs quite well. Then we find out that millions of uninsured Americans signed up for a plan, with millions more signed up through the law’s Medicaid expansion. Then their Obamacare horror stories turn out to be bogus, and Speaker of the House John Boehner basically gave up on trying to repeal the law.

And now, this.

Before we get into it, the Congressional Budget Office is the closest thing we have to a neutral arbiter of facts and reality any more. With all sides locked firmly in their own epistemic cones of silence and certain groups concocting facts while ignoring contravening ones, the CBO seems to be the only source upon which everyone can agree, and in that regard it can be cruel friend. Sometimes it reinforces an argument, and sometimes it totally crushes a wide variety of bad ideas and misleading forecasts.

That’s precisely what happened to the Republicans this week. Again.

Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bill last year, the Save American Workers Act of 2013, and 208 other Republicans — nearly the entire caucus — signed on as co-sponsors. The intention of the bill is to somehow “save American workers” by increasing the threshold for full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40. This would allow more businesses to circumvent the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The bill would also reduce the penalty for failing to comply with the law.

When introducing the bill, Young said:

“Repealing this redefinition [of ‘full time employment’] and restoring it to the historical norm ensures this bill not only protects working poor and middle class employees, it also ensures that laws governing employment are consistent.”

Not so fast. Here comes the CBO.

It turns out the Save American Workers Act… won’t. In fact, the CBO in conjunction with the Joint Committee on Taxation reported that one million workers would lose their work-based insurance policies… [CONTINUE READING HERE]

By: Bob Cesca

Bob Cesca is the managing editor at The Daily Banter (www.thedailybanter.com) and a Huffington Post contributor since 2005. He's worked in journalism since 1988 as a print writer/editor, a radio news anchor, a digital media columnist/editor, a book author and blogger. He's the co-host of the Bubble Genius Bob & Chez Show podcast and a Thursday regular on the syndicated Stephanie Miller Show. He's appeared on numerous other radio shows including the John Phillips Show and Geraldo Rivera Show in Los Angeles. Bob has been a commentator/analyst on the BBC (TV and radio), MSNBC, Current TV, CNN and Sky News. Following him on Twitter: @bobcesca_go