Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) slammed "the disastrous impacts of Obamacare in 2014" in an op-ed published Dec. 31 in the Dallas Morning News.
"The delays, deceit and debacles that marked Obamacare’s rollout in 2013 show no signs of slowing in the new year," Perry wrote.
Perry slammed President Barack Obama and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius for pushing "a faltering program," highlighting the "debacle" surrounding the launch of healthcare.gov. He predicted things will get worse in 2014:
The math gets worse heading into the new year. Starting in 2014, up to 80 million Americans might lose their employee-sponsored policies because those policies don’t comply with Obamacare specifications. And those fortunate enough to keep coverage will still face a host of health care taxes, fees, premium increases and increased out-of-pocket costs.
The sticker shock will be felt on every level, from small-business owners who’ll suddenly see their bottom line shrink or even vanish, to employees who could see their paycheck shrink dramatically as their premiums rise, or they face higher co-pays and deductibles. Or, worse yet, see their jobs vanish because their employer can’t afford to keep them on anymore. We’re already seeing reports of employers cutting employee hours to avoid Obamacare mandates.
Obamacare apologists may attempt to explain away all that by insisting these are transitional changes — even though it flies directly in the face of statements and promises to the contrary made by President Obama himself.
The truth is, these are real failures of this law, and they will profoundly affect every single American, whether they have coverage or not.
Perry has criticized Obamacare before, once calling the implementation of the law a "criminal act."
Politico reported in August Perry aides were negotiating with the Obama administration over funds available through the health law to care for the elderly and disabled. One aide told The Hill later that month the move was "not about Obamacare."
Read Perry's entire op-ed here.
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