Yet Another Delay

Just hours before Americans sat down to their turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, news trickled out of Washington that the president's massive health care law was experiencing yet another setback. This time, we learned that the website for small businesses looking to purchase health insurance for their employees will be delayed for a whole year.

In the meantime, business owners will have to devote their time to filling out paper applications or waiting on hold for someone to answer their questions over the phone. That's simply not acceptable in this day and age.

It's remarkable that after ramming the law through with a partisan vote and some procedural gymnastics in late 2009 and early 2010, this Administration has had more than three years to get these programs ready to go live – and yet it continues to look stunningly clueless as delay upon delay piles up.

We knew the Administration was not prepared for the implementation of this enormous law; but this pattern of continued disarray is especially disappointing. In fact, this mismanagement only causes the American people to doubt their government's ability to do just about anything.

The question that remains is, what provision will be delayed next, and how will it affect you and your family? Only time will tell, but given this Administration's track record, there will be more delays and false starts. These aren't simply unintended consequences; they're the direct result of a law that is too big to work.

At the end of the day, the uncertainty is causing continued anxiety for the American people, and it's as good a reason as any for why the law should be scrapped altogether.

###