Putting to rest a myth about Obamacare, get ready for the fourth annual Mac 'n Cheese Festival out at CSUB and remembering when Maison Jaussaud on south Union was the hottest restaurant in town

 * ... OBAMACARE: There has been a lot of disinformation about the idea that members of Congress are eligible for some sort of gold plated federal health insurance while the rest of the country must rely on the Affordable Care Care (ACA) more commonly known as Obamacare. But let's put this popular myth to rest: According to The Washington Post, the ACA requires members of Congress to subscribe to the D.C. exchanges, and because congressmen and senators make too much money, they must pay it themselves. So in this case, that means they all must subscribed to Obamacare.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I ran into my ex the other day. I could have sworn the light was green."

 * ... MAC 'N CHEESE: The hottest ticket in town this weekend is for the fourth annual Mac 'n Cheese Festival out at CSUB's Alumni Park. The event features a couple dozen food vendors who vie for the best version of macaroni and cheese, live music from Mento Buru and plenty of craft beer and wine. Last year the event was a near sell out, so get your tickets early at eventbrite.com. The festival is sponsored by American General Media and supports the CSUB athletic scholarship fund.

 * ... BLOWBACK: Kathy Harlan took me to task for writing about the exodus of people from California due to high taxes and regulation. In her words: "Richard, will we ever hear the end of Republican complaining? You have taken it to a fine art form. Focus on the fact that you have the presidency and congress and what a fine mess Republicans are making of that. California is doing just fine. If you don't like the gas tax and the clean air we enjoy, by all means, move to Arizona. The entire state has crummy air quality and a poor level of government services. You would be very happy there, I am sure."

 * ... MORE BLOWBACK: And Jon Johnson added this: "Richard, I love it when these people like Diane Alburger take their pensions, that are largely paid for by the taxpayers of California (Pers Sters, Kern County Retirement etc) and move out of state. Thus escaping any tax (I understand they still have a liability for state income tax) paid in California. Also not contributing to any of the other social or economic benefit their retirement income might bring back to the communities that gave them these 'fine' benefits. Maybe we are better off with out them?"

 * ... THE BLUFFS: On another note, Maureen Myers said the old bar called The Bluffs was not located on Panorama and River Boulevard but rather it "was a divey little place set deeper back in the neighborhood towards Jefferson Park."

 * ... MEMORIES: From the archives of The Bakersfield Californian, as cited on Facebooks' Kern County of Old, was this entry about the iconic Maison Jaussaud’s on south Union, known as  Bakersfield's "classiest restaurant and nightclub of the 1950s... Upon its stage Johnny Carson once endured his most ignominious flop as a stand-up comedian.” For years "wealthy farmers once brought their fur-stole-draped wives for Manhattans and Porterhouse steaks” in the popular restaurant. "Singer Dorothy Dandridge performed here too, along with a succession of over-the-hill veterans whose names still packed punches at the time, like the then-ancient Marx Brothers and the equally aged Three Stooges. Actress Jane Russell appeared on the Maison Jaussaud stage and so did Carol Channing and the Ink Spots.”

San Francisco Chronicle takes a pulse of Kern County and our pro Trump voters, high school lacrosse comes to Bakersfield and calling attention to a local eyesore

 * ... CHRONICLE: If your perspective of politics and life comes from a Bay Area high rise, you can bet it will be different than how we feel here in the great Central Valley of California. For many in the more populous regions of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Kern County is a mere curiosity, a vast region serving the blue collar poor, the under served and those of us employed in such unpopular pursuits as fossil fuel extraction and water hogging agriculture. And you wonder why we are so often misunderstood? Which is why I was pleased to read a fairly balanced story on Kern County this weekend in the San Francisco Chronicle, which sent a reporter to our town to explore the support for Trump and our more conservative tendencies. For the most part the Chronicle eschewed broad stereotypes and focused on our quest for job growth, water security and the expansion of Medi-Cal under the Affordable Care Act. It is worth your read.

 * ... OBAMACARE: The number of folks who are now insured under Medi-Cal because of the

Affordable Care Act in California is staggering. These are some of the numbers from the Chronicle story: “51 percent Merced County residents have Medi-Cal, 45 percent in Madera County, 50 percent in Fresno County and 55 percent in Tulare County."

 * ... LACROSSE: It's nice to see the sport of lacrosse taking a hold in Kern County. Up at Garces Memorial High School, a club team has emerged featuring players from Garces, Frontier, Centennial and Stockdale high schools, many of whom had never played before. The lads recorded a 4-3 win on goals by Cameron Garcia, Logan McMurtrey, Corbin McMurtrey and the game's most valuable player, Jack "Wags" Waguespack.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If I ever go missing and there’s a big search party out looking for me, you can save time by not looking at any gyms."

 * ... SUMMER: Enjoy these springs days because summer is coming and in this town that means bracing for 106-degree days. My choice for a light meal on a scorching hot day? Try the new yogurt Parfait from QwikCafe on 18th Street, a perfect compliment to a season when the heat rules.

 * ... BAD FORM: If you regularly travel on Fairfax Road from Alfred Harrell Highway up to Panorama, you know it is often used as a dumping ground for old mattresses, discarded appliances and trash. It's an eyesore and in recent months it has gotten worse. Memo to my friend Sal Moretti at the city Solid Waste Division: can I strong-arm you into looking into this mess?

 * ... BARNES: Hats off to CSUB basketball coach Rod Barnes who chalked up another honor after leading the Roadrunners to the National Invitational Tournament semi finals. Barnes was named the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year. Can we keep Barnes or will he be recruited by a larger program with a higher salary? Stay tuned.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: House to vote on repealing Obamacare to return healthcare decisions back to the people

 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "Super Bowl weekend is an exciting time for everyone, even if the Chargers, 49ers, Raiders, or whoever your favorite team is won’t be taking the field. But in our community, the big game has even

greater significance this year. For the Boron High School football team, they are experiencing the trip of a lifetime. After entering (and winning!) the NFL’s Together We Make Football contest, they won a trip to Arizona and tickets to Sunday’s game. We are so proud of the Boron community for pulling the support together and showing the country the ‘pride’ of Kern County.

 "But before we settle in to watch the Seahawks face the Patriots, it was a week of flurried activity in Washington (literally and figuratively).

 "The House has started the 114th Congress off to a fast start. In the opening weeks, our goal is to pass dozens of important bills that were approved by the House last Congress but were held up by the Democrat-led Senate. This includes the Hire More Heroes Act, which helps small businesses grow and veterans get jobs. It includes the Keystone pipeline and other legislation that upgrades our energy infrastructure. We passed legislation that redefines full time as 40 hours, after Obamacare lowered it to 30. And we also passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, legislation that will reform the VA by improving veterans’ access to mental health care resources, helping ensure veterans get the help they need after serving and protecting our country. These bills all passed out of the House with bipartisan support, and some have even passed out of the Senate.

  "Unfortunately, the President’s response hasn’t always been supportive of these measures as he has threatened more vetoes this quickly than any President since they became a formal practice.

 "Despite the resounding message by voters last November to hold Washington accountable and get some things accomplished, the President has ‘veered left’ and does not appear to be willing to work with Republicans in Congress. But the House of Representatives is intimately tied to the will of the people. We talk with our constituents every day, and when we are in our district, we listen to our constituents in meetings, in the grocery store, at the gas station, and in our houses of worship. The House has committed that the priorities we hear will indeed be the priorities of the House.

  "Next week, the House will vote to repeal Obamacare which has increased costs and reduced coverage for health care. Pulling this bill from its roots is an important first step to returning the health care decisions back to the families making them. And at the same time I have instructed the committee chairmen of the Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce, and Ways and Means Committee’s to develop patient-centered solutions to replace Obamacare. Ours will put individuals and families in the driver’s seat and use the principles of choice and competition to make high-quality health care more affordable and accessible for all.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy: Obamacare weighs on U.S. economy and impairs our 'engines of prosperity' from running at full throttle

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "In this stale economic climate, this morning’s unemployment numbers were encouraging, but one thing remains clear:  America’s engines of prosperity are not running at full throttle.  This week,

the President accused Congressional Republicans of not offering solutions to the pressing issues of our day.  He should know that as the first session of this Congress comes to a close, nearly 150 bills passed by the House have yet to be acted on by the Senate.  More importantly, dozens of those bills seek to not only boost job creation nationwide, but also strengthen our local and state economy.  From increasing domestic energy supply by opening up federal lands for production,  to reforming job training programs, reducing unnecessary regulations and providing more flexibility to working families – these bills have been collecting dust as the Senate refuses to serve the will of the American people.

 "We cannot talk about our country’s business climate without pointing out the obvious weight of Obamacare on employers, employees, and families.  I refuse to accept the President’s logic that Obamacare is the only single way towards affordable health care.  While he claims that Republicans have never offered any ideas of their own, back in 2009, both House and Senate Republicans introduced several patient-based alternatives to Obamacare.  These alternatives, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), would have reduced average health insurance premiums in the individual market 5-8 percent while simultaneously cutting the federal deficit by $68 billion over ten years.  These alternatives would have offered safeguards for individuals with pre-existing conditions, and allow the purchase of insurance plans across state lines.  Most importantly, our plans would not result in the skyrocketing prices in the way Obamacare does.  

 "This week, while the President touted enrollee numbers of 29,000 during another “re-launch” of HealthCare.gov, he ignores that the law has resulted in the cancellation of 5.6 million insurance plans.

  "It’s time the Senate begins considering the jobs bills gathering dust on Harry Reid’s desk to put Americans back to work, and it’s time for the President to come to the table and have a real conversation on improving our business climate and jumpstart our economy.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy appears on Fox News to discuss Obamacare

McCarthy: Today Americans are losing their health care insurance, and tomorrow we might lose access to doctors because of Obamacare

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Bakersfield Republican and House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his own words:

 "After the President broke his promise to the American people that they could keep their health insurance under his law, we’re seeing that is simply not the case around the country. More and more

constituents are coming forward upset that the health care plans they have had are now ending. In California, it is now expected that about 1 million Californians will lose their existing health insurance by the end of this year.


 "What is most frustrating to me is simply this: all of this was predictable and avoidable. Similarly, it is this frustration that guided our legislative principles last month when House Republicans proposed something very simple: suspend Obamacare’s individual mandate for just one year. Unfortunately, this Administration chose politics over policy.


 "But now - in a reversal from just one month ago - Democrats are calling for suspending the individual mandate itself or the mandate’s tax penalty. In keeping with our commitment to the American people, today, the House acted once again to counter the disastrous effects of this law by passing H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act.  Very simply, this bill allows providers to continue to offer health insurance plans in 2014 that don’t meet the oppressive standards of Obamacare.  Additionally, our bill allows those without health insurance to qualify for these same insurance plans without being forced to shop for plans they don’t want on some faulty government website.


 "Today, it is fact that Americans cannot keep their coverage.  Tomorrow it will be the staggering and unexpected costs.  Next month, Americans will find that they might lose access to their doctors, and the list will go on.  No administrative fix will solve these underlying fundamental issues that make Obamacare unworkable. I call upon the President today to join us to undo this mess and look at real health care solutions.

Younger people are avoiding signing up for the Affordable Care Act, and CSUB gets ready to kick off its men's basketball season

 * … OBAMACARE: Now that the Affordable Care Act is law, it appears its clunky website is only a small part of its many problems. The bigger issue, according to experts, is the reluctance of young people to sign up in the exchanges. Why? Most young people are healthy, broke and just starting out in their

careers, and the idea of paying $200 to $300 a month for a plan they rarely use is asking a lot. The problem: the economics of Obamacare depends on younger people subsidizing older people, and if this doesn't happen, the system will collapse under its own weight. Stay tuned.

 * … CSUB: Keep an eye on the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team this year as it competes in the Western Athletic Conference. Coach Rod Barnes is now in his third year and told me his team enters this year healthy and ready to compete for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Runners kick off the season with an away game this Friday against the PAC 12's Washington State, followed by their first home game at the Icardo Center on Monday against UC Merced.

 * … ACHIEVER: Bakersfield High principal David Reese shared with me a story of a local Driller who has gone on to make her hometown proud. She is Dr. Katrina B. Mitchell, a 1996 BHS grad who is now a general surgery resident at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with summa cum laude in history from Bowdoin College. She has now been honored with the Surgical Volunteerism Award for her outreach during residency and her contributions toward improving surgical care and education in Tanzania.

 * … MUSIC: Hats off to a few friends and colleagues of mine who have found a way to bring fresh new music to our town. Four friends - Herb Benham, Rogers Brandon, Harry Starkey and Jeff Pickering - formed a non profit called "Passing Through" to bring new musical acts to town. Over the weekend, upcoming solo artist Patrick Park sang for a crowd of 80 people at the beautifully decorated Metro Galleries. It was an eclectic mix in the audience, everyone from musicians Jim Shaw and Monty Byrom to former congressman Bill Thomas and his wife Sharon to Secure Systems owners Bruce and Molly Bussaca. If you ever get a chance to take in one of these concerts, you should do so. Up next: the band Houston Jones on Sunday, Nov. 17.

 * … FUND RAISER: Don't forget to make reservations for the big fund raiser for Catholic Charities Harvest for Hope set for this Saturday at the old satellite wagering building at the Kern County Fairground. Monsignor Craig Harrison will be there to hold court and the proceeds will go to help the neediest in our community. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $100 each. Call (661) 281-2130 to reserve your tickets.

House Majority Whip McCarthy to President: Where is the accountability, transparence and fairness you promised with Obamacare?

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield and House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 “…Because of the requirements of the new laws, we can no longer offer your current Anthem policy.”

“…You will need to change health benefits plans because your policy will no longer be available after January 1, 2014.”



 "The above quotes are from letters that have been sent to families and individuals in our community and across the country. Compare the quotes above to the ones we heard over and over again from President Obama: 'if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan' or 'nothing will change, period.'
"As the bad news continues to build on Obamacare, I ask the President: Where is the accountability, transparency, and fairness that you promised to the American people?

 "This past Thursday night, CBS reported a shocking, but not surprising, revelation on the enrollment figures for the October 1st Obamacare exchange rollout.  According to documents handed over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) convened regular meetings after the online exchange’s initial crash.  By the end of first night, only 6 people had successfully enrolled. By Wednesday afternoon, only 100, and by the end of Wednesday night, only 248 were able to purchase health insurance policies nationwide.

 "This must be why two days earlier on Tuesday, Marilyn Tavenner, who heads CMS, the agency in charge of constructing Healthcare.gov, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee.  When repeatedly asked by both Chairman Dave Camp and other members on why she would not disclose enrollment figures, she continuously answered that such figures would not be available until mid-November.

  "It is very clear why the Obama Administration and his senior officials refuse to shed any light on something as simple as enrollment numbers. The simple answer is that they know the rollout is, and has been, a major failure.  On top of that, they are doing everything possible to keep that fact hidden from public scrutiny.

 "And as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, Healthcare.gov was not functioning properly. 

  "Hardworking Americans are facing an unfortunate reality - cancelled plans and higher premiums. It is time to examine real health care solutions that remove this command-and-control mentality in health care and empower consumer choice and market competition.

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act is pushing many people unwilling into the exchanges and the Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government reveals highest paid county employees are KMC doctors

 * … OBAMACARE: The controversy over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is revealing the dark underside of dealing with the insurance carriers. As my friend former Congressman Bill Thomas reminds me, no one wants to see how sausage is made but that is where the details are. Insurance companies are now hitting companies and individuals with hefty annual increases to comply with the ACA, or canceling their policies outright, forcing many people unwillingly into the exchanges. That is certainly not what the president once promised when he said "if you like the insurance plan you have now" you will be able to keep it. This story is just getting started and chances are we are all in for more surprises.

 * … WATCHDOG: And speaking of sausage making, the Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government was formed a bit over a year ago to keep tabs on local government. Jenifer Pitcher, the community liaison for the group, told me on First Look with Scott Cox that the focus remains on public pensions, effective education and efficient government. She also told me that when she pulled the top 30 highest paid county employees, 29 of them were doctors on contract with Kern Medical Center.

 * … SPOTTED: On a friend's Facebook page was this: "Overheard in the kitchen when teen daughter was asked if she saw something on Facebook: 'Oh, No, Facebook has been taken over by Moms!'"

* ... STREET SWEEPERS: Reader Jim VanderZwan submitted this lament about city street sweepers. "Recently our neighborhood streets were resealed and the city or whatever contractor completed the work did a great job. The streets were clean and a pristine black, that is, until the street sweepers came through.  Not only were tax payer dollars wasted 'cleaning' a just resurfaced neighborhood, but they left a large ugly brown streak where they 'cleaned' all throughout the neighborhood, leaving me and the neighbors just shaking our heads."

  * ... ACHIEVERS: I misspelled a name of a local achiever in an earlier blog, so I want to get it right today. Here is the full item: I got a call from proud grand mother Christine Nichols who updated me on her two grandsons. Josh Medrano, a 2006 Centennial High graduate, just graduated from the Navy's Nuclear Power Program in Goose Creek, S.C., while his brother, Frontier graduate Matthew Medrano, is studying agronomy at the University of Kentucky.

 * … EVENTS: Two events to keep on your calendar. This Saturday out at Minter Field in Shafter is the annual "fly in" featuring some really interesting aircraft. Gates open at 7 a.m. and it is all free. Then next Saturday, Nov. 9, make sure you remember the drive to collect blankets, pet treats, leashes and collars for stray, sick and abused dogs and cats. It's called Operation Blankets of Love and it will take place at Petco on Gosford Road from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

McCarthy: Obamacare is not ready for prime time and the early flaws are just the tip of the iceberg

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and a Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "This week was filled with news reports on “glitches” associated with the Obamacare website. However, the problems being created by this law go well beyond technical difficulties. To hundreds of thousands of Americans losing health coverage because of Obamacare, it is not a “glitch.” It’s not a glitch when hard-working Americans receive letters informing them that they and their families will no longer be able to keep their current health care plan – a fundamental promise this President made to us when Obamacare was being rammed through a then-Democrat controlled Congress.

 "While the Administration continues to hold press conferences to tell us ‘it’s being handled,’ it is unlikely that they will read these letters or listen to the stories that are unfolding from this unfortunate reality. As October 1st approached, the Obama Administration assured the nation that everything was running smoothly with Obamacare. But unfortunately, it is now clear that the fears that many Americans had about this law were in fact well-founded.

  "Even HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the exchanges “didn’t have enough testing” and that the exchanges “needed five years of construction.”  She explained that HHS only had two years to construct the program with “almost no testing.”  If that is indeed the case, then why did Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration insist on rolling out the exchanges years before they could be ready, and not agree with many in Congress and millions of Americans that Obamacare should be delayed?

  "Not only is it very difficult for individuals to get past the first steps of signing up, but the system’s coding appears to be corrupted and is channeling inaccurate applicant information, raising the risk of improper payments, and worse, risking the loss of coverage and opening applicants up to the potential of their identities being stolen. The Obama Administration has spent over $500 million in taxpayer money and counting to develop this website, more money than Apple spent to develop the iPhone, and more money than Facebook and Twitter spent combined to develop their sites.  This type of mismanagement is unacceptable and those responsible must be held accountable.

  "Now elected officials from both sides of the aisle agree with what I have believed all along: Obamacare is not ready for prime time and Americans should have gotten the same delay that the President unilaterally gave businesses. And this week, as many American households received letters cancel
ing their coverage, we know that the President was wrong when he said, ‘if you have health care and you like it, you can keep it.” No Rose Garden infomercial can hide what Americans are experiencing: hardworking families and workers are losing their private plans or are being told that they now must pay higher premiums because of this Un-affordable Care Act.

House Majority Whip McCarthy: President Obama fiddles as our spending continues and debt piles up

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Bakersfield Republican and House Majority Whip, wraps up the week with some words from Capitol Hill.

 "The fight to put America on a better and more prosperous path will and must continue.
 "The fact that Congress must vote to raise the debt limit is the same reason why some Americans need to call their credit card company to request an increase in their credit limit:  we are still borrowing too much.  We know that the status quo – continued spending, continued deficits, continued

borrowing – won’t make our credit rating better; in fact, it will be the cause for a credit rating downgrade down the road, and ultimately higher interest rates for Americans, making it more difficult for Americans to get loans to purchase their first car, their first house, their first opportunity at the American Dream.

 "Instead, the President tells us that any talk about cutting spending, cutting deficits, and cutting borrowing are irrelevant to the debt limit debate.  He is wrong.  It is relevant.  We will continue to talk about how to control spending in the short-term and the long-term so that our nation’s credit remains intact, and America’s financial standing remains second to none. Negotiations are underway between the House and the Senate to work out a budget that will seek to address our critical fiscal issues including the disastrous impact of Obamacare.

 "When it comes to Obamacare, proponents of the law should end its fixation that this is the perfect law, a law that cannot be changed even if it suffers fatal flaws.  I am adamantly opposed to Obamacare, and with the flawed roll out and the increase in premiums that are occurring, this issue will not go away.  With error messages, blank screens, and skyrocketing prices, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has proven our fears of Obamacare to be true, and must immediately provide explanations to the American public and Congress.

  "This week, I wrote and sent Governor Jerry Brown a letter along with 13 California congress members on the importance of energy production in California.  And when we talk about jumpstarting our economy, we should look at our ability to increase energy production right here in our own state. With new technological advancements in methods of safely and cleanly producing oil and natural gas, California should be focused on the economic potential of the Monterey shale formation which, according to the Energy Information Administration, is “the largest shale oil formation” estimated to hold 15.4 billion barrels or 64 percent of the total shale oil resources in the United States.  Unlike other oil and natural gas producing states, California still persistently experiences high unemployment and today relies on 50% of its oil from foreign sources, sending billions of dollars overseas that could otherwise be invested in our state’s economy to create jobs and build energy infrastructure.  According to an American Petroleum Institute (API) report from May 2011, the oil and natural gas industry in California created over 908,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2009, with an associated labor income of $62.3 billion.

 "I shared the importance of harnessing our state’s energy potential at the inaugural West Kern Petroleum Summit at Taft College today, and when it comes to revitalizing our nation’s economy, the economic opportunities are right here in Kern County.

McCarthy: While people suffer, the White House refuses to negotiate and sits on the sidelines and watches as Rome burns

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and a Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "As the government shutdown dominates the headlines and discussion, it is mind boggling to me that the Senate and the Administration refuses to engage in any talks to resolve this situation.  And the one instance when they did call to meet, it was to reiterate they refuse to talk.

 "First, let me be very clear – neither I nor my colleagues wanted a government shutdown. Before the September 30th deadline, the House of Representatives passed three continuing resolutions to fund our government with amendments that had bipartisan support.  We passed legislation out of the House asking for a delay of Obamacare for individuals just like businesses got, a permanent repeal of the Obamacare tax on pacemakers and other medical devices, and treating Members of Congress, the Senate, and the President and his staff like every other American under Obamacare.  And sadly, the Senate refuses to act and the White House continues to sit on the sidelines.  I cannot imagine any President, at a time of a government shutdown, not providing presidential leadership, and instead allowing more burdens to be imposed on the American public.

 "The House continues to try to lessen the burdens on the American people.  We have passed this week legislation that will fund our veterans, our national parks, our medical research institutions, and other federal operations.  The Senate can act and they should act now.

 "As this Administration tried to roll out Obamacare, we saw what we have been saying for some time  it is not ready for primetime.  The more Americans learn about the law, the more they want it delayed.  The President himself is giving reason for the need to delay the law; he has already unilaterally delayed provisions in Obamacare ten times, including giving businesses an exemption from penalties and taxes that individuals are still faced with.  Just as President Obama was announcing another delay of Obamacare, he was attacking those who wanted to delay this unworkable law.

 "The President has said that in divided government, no one gets 100% of what they want.  We simply ask that his words match his actions. I hope that Senator Reid and the Senate Democrats and President Obama start working with us so we can resolve the challenges that face the American people.

McCarthy: Obamacare is a disaster, a crazy Jenga like puzzle that will punish employers and give workers fewer and more expensive choices

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Whip and a Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly update from Capitol Hill.


 "Earlier this month, the President decided to unilaterally suspend the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act for one year over concerns that his Administration, three full years after enactment, simply is not ready to implement its own massive overhaul.  In fact, it seems the President is finally seeing for himself what we’ve been telling him all along:  this bill is a disaster."

 "As many of our small business owners know, the employer mandate will impose penalties on employers if they do not comply with new regulations included in Obamacare.  This mandate is just one block of the complicated Jenga puzzle that is Obamacare.   When you start pulling out the pieces, the entire puzzle becomes unstable, and that is exactly what is happening to the law.

 "This mandate has the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which has 47 separate powers under Obamacare, requiring businesses to report employee benefit information to them in order to verify and enforce the mandate’s standards.  And we know the IRS is not prepared nor should they have this role.  Given the ongoing investigation of the heavy-handedness of its tax-exempt unit, who believes that the IRS right now can be entrusted with new authority?  I do not.

 "In addition, while the employer mandate may be suspended for one year, the individual mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance presumably still goes into effect on October 1st of this year. But if the employer mandate is bad for businesses, it is just as bad for individuals. Throughout our community, we are beginning to see premiums and costs rise. As the law prepares to implemented, however, my biggest concern lies in California itself.

 "As one of the 16 states choosing to set up its own exchange, California is attempting to set up an extensive bureaucracy to attempt to enroll California residents.  The State Insurance Commissioner and anti –fraud groups have expressed concerns that the exchange is falling short in ensuring that these people are being adequately screened to perform a job that involves the handling of personal and confidential information.  And even worse, because HHS won’t enforce the standards of the employer mandate until 2015, they’ve decided that they will not require the state exchanges to certify an individual’s qualifications either.  Instead, the state-run exchanges can simply use an “honor system” of personal attestation, verifying individuals’ social security numbers, household income, and insurance status solely on their word.   It is an open invitation to fraud and improper payments. That type of policy is unthinkable and irresponsible.  I believe state-run exchanges should be held to higher standards for the sake of protecting personal confidential information, and to ensure that scarce taxpayer dollars aren’t subject to waste or fraud when handing out subsidies without proper verification. 

 "The decision to delay the employer mandate by the Administration did not happen overnight. It required substantial review by departments throughout the Executive Branch. My House colleagues and I have written to the President demanding to know the type of analysis conducted to come to this decision and the legality of the decision to unilaterally delay this portion of the law, but not the rest of the law.  Americans deserve to know this information of the true impact of Obamacare.  It’s insulting to American families and job creators that President Obama believes a one year delay can solve the long-term problems that Obamacare causes for our nation’s job creators.

 "There are common sense solutions that address the real cost drivers of health care costs, such as tort reform and expanding health insurance options across state lines that will benefit consumers.  Unfortunately, Obamacare does not do this, and instead includes bad and unworkable policy.  I know it, and now we’re seeing it.  That is why I have supported repealing the law entirely, and voted to repeal Obamacare in its entirety on May 16 this year.  Unfortunately, the Senate has refused to act on that bill.  Now that the Administration is unilaterally deciding what parts of Obamacare it wishes to enforce, the House took action this week.   As a former constitutional law professor, the President should understand that the Congress, not the White House, has the sole authority in amending written law.  Therefore, in response to his decision to administratively delay the implementation of certain provisions in his own law, the House passed legislation (H.R. 2667) that statutorily amends Obamacare to delay the employer mandate until 2015.  Additionally, the House passed H.R. 2668, which parallels the delay of the employer mandate by ensuring individuals and families are treated the same way as employers by delaying the individual mandate until 2015 as well.   Both bills passed by bipartisan majority votes.  It is difficult to believe that this Administration wouldn’t want to give hardworking American families the same needed reprieve from the law’s crushing mandate as they gave corporate America.  Be assured that I will continue to fight the flawed implementation of this health care law that threatens to affect the way we receive our health care.

McCarthy: House Majority Whip cites fatal flaw in Obamacare, calls for bureaucrats to stay away from healthcare decisions

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield and House Majority Whip) provides us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "Two years ago, Americans watched as Democrats forced Obama’s trillion-dollar healthcare law through the House, despite the cost nearly doubling to $1.8 trillion now and objections to how it would affect families’ personal healthcare decisions.  While I remain committed to fully repealing ObamaCare, I applauded bipartisan support in the House to repeal one of the most egregious ObamaCare creations:  the little-known, but potentially far-reaching, Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). IPAB is a 15-member panel of unelected and unaccountable government bureaucrats appointed by the President and charged with reducing Medicare costs, which could result in de facto rationing of care for seniors, unless a supermajority in Congress votes to override its proposals. This unprecedented government-imposed rationing scheme is symptomatic of the broader ObamaCare premise that government must expand its reach into personal healthcare decisions.  When government over-intervenes, our individual freedoms and our personal choices are taken away.

  "Leaving Medicare services and payment decisions in the hands of unelected administrators would likely limit patient access to healthcare services and reduce quality of care and innovation. Many physicians already struggle to serve Medicare patients, and I’m concerned payment cuts to doctors and other healthcare providers who serve older Americans will adversely affect patient care. Over the last five years, the number of physicians unable to accept new Medicare patients has doubled. Low reimbursement rates have led to nearly 20% of doctors - 31% being primary care physicians - to restrict their number of Medicare patients. And, because TRICARE is tied to Medicare reimbursement rates, our military personnel will likely see similar impacts on their access to healthcare.  IPAB will only exacerbate this problem - this is unacceptable.

 "Congressional Democrats and over 400 organizations representing physicians, seniors, veterans, small businesses, healthcare providers and patients joined my Republican colleagues and me in an effort to repeal IPAB. I am pleased that Thursday, the House passed the Protecting Access to Healthcare (PATH) Act (H.R. 5) to repeal IPAB and implement commonsense medical liability reforms to reduce frivolous lawsuits.  According to a Harvard study, over 40% of medical malpractice suits lack merit, and studies show that “defensive medicine” costs over $200 billion annually, driving up healthcare costs.  This bill’s medical liability reforms would save the federal government an estimated $48.6 billion, of which $45.5 billion will go directly toward paying down our debt. These reforms will preserve the doctor-patient relationship, make healthcare more affordable, and stop unaccountable government bureaucrats from the inevitable march toward rationing healthcare.

 "I continue working with Congressman Paul Ryan to get our nation’s fiscal house in order by putting together a responsible budget that reforms our tax code and tackles our debt.  I will also unveil an energy policy package next week that provides an all-of-the-above approach to domestic energy development to alleviate pain at the pump, create new American jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  We cannot wait to address our debt and energy needs. Now is the time to put solutions forward and get America back on track."