Skip to main content

'Is This a Joke?' Obamacare Delays Rankle GOP

Share This article

The Obama administration's healthcare website went down Monday afternoon, just hours before the enrollment deadline.

Health Department tech official say a software bug shut the system down for several hours. The site was back up and running by 9 a.m. Monday, but then went down again late afternoon.

Despite the threat of a penalty, the White House made a last-minute change giving people who register online before the stroke of midnight until next Monday to complete the sign up.

That move didn't sit well with Republicans who've been fighting to repeal the law.

 "What… is this? A joke?" House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.

***Republican strategist Phillip Stutts offered his insights on the series of Obamacare delays on CBN Newswatch, March 31.

"This is part of a long-term pattern of this administration manipulating the laws for its own convenience and it's not hard to understand why the American people question this administration's commitment to the rule of law," he charged.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, "It's basically become the legal equivalent of swiss cheese."

The White House claims some 6 million people have signed up for a health insurance plan -- 1 million of those in just the last week.

"You are seeing a surge of interest, many from families that are desperate to finally get access to healthcare insurance," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said.

But some are questioning the administration's sign-up figures. Critics want to know how many have actually paid for their coverage.

Another big unknown factor is how many young people have signed up, a critical component to Obamacare's success.

"I think they're cooking the books on this," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told "Fox News Sunday." "People want to know the answers to that."

"They also want to know once all of this is said and done, what kind of insurance will those people actually have? Will they be able to keep the doctors that they want? How much more is it going to cost them?" Barrasso added.

These critical questions come as polls show support for the healthcare law has dropped to new lows.

While the White House pushes Americans to sign up, experts say a lot of people will remain resistant either because they don't know about Monday's revised deadline or just plan to stay uninsured.

One thing is clear: The president's health care plan will play a big roll come November's midterm election.

Share This article

About The Author

George Thomas Headshot
George
Thomas

Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and of Indian descent, CBN News’ Senior International Correspondent and Co-Anchor, George Thomas, has been traveling the globe for more than 20 years, finding the stories of people, conflicts, and issues that must be told. He has reported from more than 100 countries and has had a front-row seat to numerous global events of our day. George’s stories of faith, struggle, and hope combine the expertise of a seasoned journalist with the inspiration of a deep calling to tell the stories of the people behind the news. “I’ve always liked discovering & exploring new