Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius must be living in a "parallel universe" if she thinks Obamacare would not result in job losses, as a report from the Congressional Budget Office determined, Sen. John Thune, Republican from South Dakota said Tuesday.
"I don't know what parallel universe [Sebelius] or members of the president's administration are living in, but clearly there's an Obamacare bubble around Washington, D.C.," the South Dakota Republican told Fox News' "Happening Now."
On Monday, Sebelius addressed a CBO report that said Obamacare would result in 2.5 million fewer workers
through 2024. Rather than job losses, she said full-time jobs were on the rise.
"There is absolutely no evidence, and every economist will tell you this, that there is any job loss related to the Affordable Care Act. Part-time positions are actually down since 2010, not up. The number of full-time workers continues to increase," Sebelius said.
Thune questioned where Sebelius got her information, and maintained Americans were experiencing economic consequences due to the effects of Obamacare. He said families were already seeing higher insurance premiums and deductibles, and canceled health insurance coverage.
"I don't know who she's listening to, academics or economists that are liberal leaning. But, in the real world, this is the impact that it's having. And the American people are suffering," Thune said.
Obamacare will remain a part of the national dialogue leading up to the midterm elections because of its effect on jobs and the economy, Thune said.
"The reason that people are talking about it in Washington, D.C., is because people are talking about it around the country. And I think it's going to continue to be a subject of conversation," he said.
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