8 25 15 News Release

***NEWS RELEASE*** For Immediate Release August 25, 2015 CONTACT: Deborah Hamilton, Hamilton Strategies, 215.815.7716, 6...

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***NEWS RELEASE*** For Immediate Release August 25, 2015 CONTACT: Deborah Hamilton, Hamilton Strategies, 215.815.7716, 610.584.1096, ext. 102, or Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 104, [email protected]

The Obamacare Tax EVERYONE Will Pay Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom Says Announcement of Figures by August 31 is More Proof That the Affordable Care Act is Anything But ‘Affordable’ ST. PAUL, Minn.—So much for “affordable” health care. Yet another Affordable Care Act tax is on tap for September, starting at $8 billion a year and increasing to more than $14 billion annually by 2018. In short, says Twila Brase, president and cofounder of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF, www.cchfreedom.org), every health plan with more than $25 million dollars of premiums has to pay a portion of that giant tax. That means that even Americans who are not covered by Obamacare, but instead have private insurance plans, will still pay this tax through premium increases and other fees. “By next Monday, August 31st—or possibly before—the federal government will tell each plan what portion of the health insurance tax they will be required to pay before September 30th,” Brase said. “And this tax, and therefore the increases to the insured, will happen every year. A tax on our insurers is a tax on all of us, since Americans will see their premiums increase significantly, possibly by a double-digit percentage. In fact, one actuary estimates that individual premiums may increase $500 this year, while family premiums could be $700 higher.” Health plans providing coverage for Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare will be charged with the tax, which will, in turn, increase the cost of Medicaid for the state, as well as Medicare for the federal government and recipients, she continued. However, the tax cannot be directly imposed on government entities. “The Affordable Care Act was described as a law to ease the financial burden on Americans and improve their coverage and care,” Brase continued. “But neither has happened. Our care has been compromised and all of us—even those who didn’t choose Obamacare coverage—are paying the price. This is not affordable health care.” The Daily Caller reports that over the next decade, consumers will pay more than $145 billion for the tax. Language for the tax was buried in Section 9010 of the Affordable Care Act as a way to raise

future funds to pay for Obamacare. Now, some lawmakers are calling for repeal of Section 9010 of the law. Among them is Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), who told the Daily Caller that the tax “is another example of how the president’s health care law was designed so the most painful parts of the law kick in years later.” “Ironically,” the Daily Caller continued, “the elderly and the poor—those who were supposed to benefit most from Obamacare—will be adversely affected by the new tax, as will financially hardpressed state governments.” The IRS has a web page to explain the fee and the process: www.irs.gov/Businesses/Corporations/ Affordable-Care-Act-Provision-9010. CCHF is a national organization dedicated to preserving patient-centered health care and protecting patient and privacy rights, and seeks to keep all Americans informed about pressing health care issues and how they will affect their care, their privacy and their wallets. Brase talked about this new tax in her daily, 60-second Health Freedom Minute radio feature on Friday. Heard on approximately 350 stations nationwide, including 200 on the American Family Radio Network and 100 on the Bott Radio Network, Health Freedom Minute helps listeners learn more about the agenda behind health care initiatives, as well as steps they can take to protect their health care choices, rights and privacy. Recent Health Freedom Minute topics have included patient profiling, medical data privacy, Medicaid expansion and the hacking of medical records. The program is free for stations to run; for details, contact Michael Hamilton at [email protected] or (610) 584-1096 or (215) 519-4838. For more information about CCHF and its “5C” Solution for Health Care, visit its web site at www.cchfreedom.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cchfreedom or its Twitter feed, @CCHFreedom. CCHF president and co-founder Twila Brase, R.N., has been called one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Health Care” and one of “Minnesota’s 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders.” A public health nurse, Brase has been interviewed by CNN, Fox News, Minnesota Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, NBC’s Today Show, NPR, New York Public Radio, the Associated Press, Modern Healthcare, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Washington Times, among others. She is at the forefront of informing the public of crucial health issues, such as intrusive wellness and prevention initiatives in Obamacare, patient privacy, informed consent, the dangers of “evidence-based medicine” and the implications of state and federal health care reform. ### For more information or to interview Twila Brase, president and co-founder of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom, contact Deborah Hamilton at 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096, or Beth Harrison at 610-584-1096, [email protected].