Obamacare Delay: What They're Saying

Reaction to the Obama administration's decision on Tuesday to delay a key employer requirement of Obamacare:

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio:
"The president's health care law is already raising costs and costing jobs. This announcement means even the Obama administration knows the 'train wreck' will only get worse. I hope the administration recognizes the need to release American families from the mandates of this law as well. This is a clear acknowledgment that the law is unworkable, and it underscores the need to repeal the law and replace it with effective, patient-centered reforms."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.:
"Obamacare costs too much and it isn't working the way the administration promised. The White House seems to slowly be admitting what Americans already know: Obamacare needs to be repealed and replaced with common-sense reforms that actually lowers costs for Americans."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.:
"This further confirms that even the proponents of ObamaCare know it will hurt jobs, decrease economic growth and make it harder for families to have access to quality and affordable health care. Rather than continuing to delay the predictable pain until another election day has passed, we should scrap this entire law and instead implement patient-centered reforms before any more damage is done to our economy or the health care families depend on. The best delay for ObamaCare is a permanent one."

Grover Norquist, president, Americans for Tax Reform:
“Ouch. This is not the president’s critics saying his plan sucks. This is the president saying ‘My plan sucks. If you knew what was in it you wouldn’t like it. So I’m going to delay pieces of what’s in it.’”

Mark Mazur, assistant secretary, Treasury Department:
"This is designed to meet two goals. It will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the 2010 law. Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible."

Tim Phillips, president, Americans for Prosperity:
“It is increasingly obvious that the Obama administration is nowhere near ready to deal with the countless negative consequences their own law creates. The delay amounts to an admission that forcing small businesses to comply with more onerous regulations only hurts jobs and slows the economy. Further, the decision to postpone implementation until after November 2014 appears motivated by deceptive politics, rather than an honest effort to protect small businesses from the painful conditions Obamacare creates.”

Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La.:
"Obamacare's expense is killing jobs and is too great for businesses to handle. This delay in implementing the employer mandate acknowledges this while encouraging employers to drop insurance coverage for their employees; taxpayers will pay more and deficits will increase. We must replace Obamacare with patient-centered reforms which expand healthcare access without destroying jobs."

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn.:
"The employer mandate will destroy jobs, regardless of when it's implemented. If anything, this decision exacerbates the confusion and uncertainty employers face and serves as further confirmation this flawed law is a "train wreck." In fact, jobs are already being lost and workers' hours slashed because of the president's health care law. No amount of bureaucratic tinkering can ease the pain ObamaCare is inflicting on our nation's workplaces. America's workers, families, and job creators deserve permanent relief from ObamaCare, not a one year reprieve.

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.:
"House Republicans stand with the vast majority of the American people in our opposition to this disastrous law, and we remain committed to its total and permanent repeal. It is bad for patients. It is bad for doctors. It is bad for workers. It is bad for job creators. It is bad for America."

Ken Cuccinelli, Republican candidate for governor, Virginia:
“Today’s announcement that Obama Administration officials are delaying implementation of a key aspect of the President’s unprecedented federal government intrusion into our healthcare system is further proof that the law rushed through the legislative process is fundamentally flawed. As premiums increase and taxes are hiked, it’s clear that in addition to creating mountains of new regulations, costs are also increasing."

Randy Johnson, senior vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
“The administration has finally recognized the obvious -- employers need more time and clarification of the rules of the road before implementing the employer mandate.”

Neil Trautwein, vice president, National Retail Federation:
"We commend the Administration's wise move. This one-year delay will provide employers and businesses more time to update their healthcare coverage without threat of arbitrary punishment."