Obamacare Repeal Efforts - 02/03/12

This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on whether the new healthcare law, commonly known as Obamacare, is on strong constitutional footing. While I remain hopeful the court will uphold lower court rulings that determined the law is unconstitutional, House Republicans have taken several proactive steps to minimize the impact of this federal takeover of our healthcare system.

The most troubling aspect of the President’s healthcare law is the mandate that forces every American to purchase coverage or pay a penalty. Under the new law, individuals will have no choice but to purchase health insurance or face the possibility of a $2,250 tax. The federal government alone will determine if you can afford to purchase healthcare or if you meet a certain threshold to qualify for a government subsidy. You will no longer have the right to make decisions about your own care -- an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into your personal lives.

Last week, the House voted to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. This is an unsustainable entitlement program included in Obamacare, and whose phony “savings” were used by the law’s supporters to mask the true cost of the President’s intrusive and unconstitutional healthcare bill before it was rushed into law. Repealing the CLASS Act is only the latest in a series of legislative efforts passed by the House to repeal and defund Obamacare.

As you may recall, one of the first actions taken by the new Republican House last year was to adopt a bill repealing Obamacare in its entirety.  The House also passed a jobs-focused budget that fully repealed and defunded this government takeover of our healthcare system, as well as several amendments to prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to implement or enforce specific provisions of the law.

While those bills were not enacted into law, several measures that chip away at the most egregious parts of Obamacare have been passed and signed into law by the President. First, we passed H.R. 4, which repealed the healthcare law’s job-crushing 1099 paperwork mandate.  In last year’s spending cut agreement with the President, House Republicans were also able to successfully eliminate several questionable accounts in Obamacare that had little oversight or clear purpose. Additionally, another provision in the spending cut agreement prevented the IRS from hiring 16,500 new agents to help impose the law’s tax hikes and mandates. The House also approved legislation to repeal other Obamacare slush funds, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

Republicans have offered alternatives every step of the way to help Americans access affordable healthcare, while allowing those who like their current coverage to keep it. People should have the choice to maintain their current coverage or buy health insurance across state lines. Another proposal would be to ensure that patients with pre-existing conditions or those who suffer from a chronic condition cannot be denied the opportunity to purchase quality healthcare.

These proposals would allow more Americans to get quality, affordable healthcare without placing onerous taxes and regulations on you or your employer.  Reforming healthcare is an issue that affects every single one of us, and we should continue to dismantle Obamacare piece by piece and ease its impact on hard-working Americans.