Rep. Bera ‘concerned’ about ObamaCare implementation

Bera was first elected last year, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has already targeted his seat for 2014. 

{mosads}Democrats have become increasingly critical of how the Obama administration is implementing the Affordable Care Act, and their frustration was on full display when Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said he fears there could be “a huge train wreck coming down” because people do not understand the law or how it works.

Bera echoed similar concerns.

“I worry that when the Affordable Care Act was originally passed, they did a very poor job of explaining it. … I don’t know that they’re doing a much better job telling people about what the roll-out is going to look like,” he told the Bee.

The healthcare law’s biggest provisions — notably, new insurance exchanges in every state — are supposed to take effect Jan. 1 — just 11 months before the midterms. If premiums skyrocket, exchanges aren’t ready on time or people don’t sign up, Democrats could pay the price at the polls.

“We have one chance to get this right,” Bera told the Bee‘s editorial board. “If this fails and blows up, it is probably another decade if not longer before health care and we don’t have another decade.”

— Follow Healthwatch on Twitter: @sam_baker, @eliseviebeck, @hillhealthwatch

Tags Max Baucus

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