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Working to repeal, replace, and defund the health care law
Posted by Randy | April 12, 2011
As the nation recently marked the one year anniversary of the passage of the controversial health care law, I hear from many Americans about the cost of the legislation, not just to our nation but to their own pocketbooks.

Some Americans like Buddy Zaremba, a print shop owner from Manchester, New Hampshire, are now paying premiums 37% higher than they were in 2010.  In fact, 200 prominent economists agree that the current health care law has done little to lower premiums and is threatening business and placing a crushing debt on future Americans.

Earlier this year,  I joined 245 of my colleagues in voting to repeal and replace the job-killing health care bill signed into law by the President last year.  After the Senate refused to join the House in rolling back the health care law, I began working with my colleagues to take steps to curtail massive spending aimed at implementing the controversial health care law. Here are some of the actions I’ve taken in the past several weeks:

Introduced the Prevent IRS Overreach Act of 2011.
This bill would prohibit a massive expansion of the IRS that would be necessary to enforce the health care law.  The bill would prevent the IRS from hiring or designating any personnel to force millions of American families and small businesses to comply with onerous healthcare regulations, including the unconstitutional mandate to purchase the health insurance.  Some estimates predicted that as many as 16,000 new IRS agents would be needed to enforce the law—this bill would put a stop to that all together.

Kept taxpayer funds from being used to implement the health care law.
I voted to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to pay any government worker to implement the provisions of the health care law.  If the President and Senate won’t agree to repeal the law, then the House must lead the way in defunding it because I believe that this law is not only flawed, but more importantly, it is fundamentally unconstitutional.

Called for expedited resolution to lawsuits challenging the health care law.
I introduced a House Resolution and a bill calling for an expedited resolution to lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the health care law in order to provide certainty for employers, individuals, healthcare providers, and state and local governments.

Backed Virginia’s legal challenge to the health care law.
I joined 48 colleagues in signing an amicus brief backing Virginia’s legal challenge to the health care law.  U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson in Richmond ruled in favor of Virginia in December concluding the individual mandate provision in the health care law "exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power." Now, the case is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and I am urging the federal appeals court to declare the entire health care law - including the individual mandate - unconstitutional.

What do you think of these actions I’ve taken on the new health care law? Are you being directly impacted by the health care law? How?
Comments
Users are solely responsible for the opinions they post here and their comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Congressman Forbes.
  • Kimberly Fritz commented on 4/12/2011
    I understand the issues with the finanical burdens of the new healthcare bill you are motivated to appeal. While I have health insurance, I still worry about the millions of Americans who do not have health insurance. What do we do? How can we keep insurance premiums low not only for the currently insured but also for Americans who cannot afford premiums at all? I'd like to know your thoughts on making healthcare accessible to all Americans.
  • Thomas Griswold commented on 4/13/2011
    It is so disheartening to listen to our lawmakers refer to what they claim is 'job killing' legislation when it clearly is not. When you consider that the health care advances will finally prevent the insurance companies from widespread activity to deny coverages the term is sadly misused. I recall reservations about using that term immediately after the Tuscon tragedy...but here we are once again resorting to heavy handed ugliness for political advantage. What do the American people have to do to get this sort of thing stopped? I would hope the congressman would rethink some of the language used to give us all a sense that that lawmakers can indeed rise about this foolishness. The CBO has already weighed in on the long term budget savings of the health care bill. The independent CBO. So the truth is that such advocacy really isn't a job killing bill...it is yet another attempt to push the nation into the red another 100 billion. Add that to the disasterous Bush tax cuts and it is clear what creates the economic challenges we face today. A recent poll indicated that 81 percent of Americans feel it acceptable to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires. EIGHTY ONE PERCENT.... We shall see if our congressman listens to his constituents.
  • David Stapp commented on 4/15/2011
    Congressman Forbes, Thank for your efforts to repeal a law that has no place at the federal level if anywhere. While I am concerned for citizens who do not have health care, it is not the fed. Gov't's job to mandate or pay for such coverage. All the people who are concerned about there neighbors without healthcare should find a way to donate at there local level if they are worried. Coercion via taxation will not solve this problem.
  • Mary Copeland commented on 4/19/2011
    Most of the people on your blog are in favor of President Obama's Health Care Reform three to one. Clearly you do not listen to the people. You and your fellow republicans need to be recalled and replaced with working Americans who know the hardship of working forty plus hours a week and have to decide whether to buy insurance or pay the high electric and outrageous water bills. You need to work to lower those costs and help people and stop trying to block the President from helping people.
  • Robert Oliver commented on 5/2/2011
    Dear Congressman, Please support the President's Health Care plan. Please do not sell out the poor and the middle class. Look at your district! The majority of your constituents need this Heath Care plan. Furthermore, no more tax breaks for Oil Companies or Banks. Do not overtax the poor and middle class. People making over 250,000 should be paying more taxes... as well as the top 2% of the USA. Many in the Republican Party have lost their way and are on the payroll of the oil companies, the Kock Brothers.... other Republican controlled states are disenfranching public workers and the poor to move wealth to the upper 2%. Please do the right thing. Things are becoming more desperate. Thanks for your time! Thanks for your kind, supportive words, too, praising the death of OBL under President Obama's leadership.
  • Barbara Wells commented on 12/28/2011
    Since apparently not enough of us are speaking up, let me add my voice to support of your actions against this bill. NOT all of your constituents want this. My husband and I are both employed full time in professional jobs and we are facing health care insurance crises of our own in 2012 unlike anything we've ever dealt with. Many other families I know are in similar situations... Outrageous premiums, skyrocketing out of pocket expenses, through the roof deductibles, penalties for carrying me as a spouse.... And so on. If anyone seriously thinks adding bureaucracy to the insurance companies will fix the problem, you are sadly mistaken. Show me ONE other area in which the government has added regulation that has actually created improvement. Get your heads out of the sand.
  • Nolan Sue commented on 1/19/2012
    Thank you for opposing this bill and the man who said it would not cost the taxpayers one dime more--the same man, by the way, who said the U.S. needed to buy more oil from its close neighbors, then turned around and vetoed the bill that would allow it, which also took in its wake thousands of needed jobs. (Just in case the environmentalists don't know it, much of that area where the pipeline would have gone, already has hundreds of miles of pipelines.) So now the Canadians can sell the oil to China, so we can buy it back at a higher rate, with money borrowed from THEM. That makes about as much sense as what he did with Healthcare. The only jobs Obama care is providing are federal ones, which are the very jobs that need trimming. If Obama REALLY wants to do something for healthcare, then let him fix the sick economy.
  • Grace Bascetta commented on 1/29/2012
    Good luck with the 414 plan. I am the President of a construction firm in Williamsburg, A'more Commercial Enterprises,LLC We have been in business since 2009. We are still bidding on government projects, but because of all the red tape and delays in getting paid we are focusing more on working in the private sector. Sometimes government regulations make it difficult to compete. The wage determination rates and classification of trades under The Davis Bacon Act are outdated. A recent contract I was awarded requires I pay $18.50 for wages including fringes. Most of my carpenters are payed $20.00 an hour.
  • Jeffrey "Scott" ` Decker commented on 2/16/2012
    What we need IS NOT a repeal of the Healtcare Law but revisions. Health Care is crippling our country financially and thats a fact!! What is needed is the following 1. Health Insurance reform or Regulation. It is a huge conflict of interest for a publically traded company to be providing Health Insurance and requiring approval on procedures by Doctors for their patients. Roll them back to non - profit - our Healthcare system was much better then and cheaper. One aspect of the current law requires Health Insurance companies to spend 85% of their revenue on Health Care - and this is at least step in the right direction. 2. I find it insane that when I travel to Canada that my out of pocket expense for my medicine is less at the retail price in Canada with a prescription then it is with Insurance and my Co-Pay here in the US. We need price controls on prescription drugs period! 3. You need a public option for Health Care - you already have medicare and medicaid. Expand those programs if you have to. Why are we the only developed nation that DOES NOT provide healthcare to their citizens?? Because we are fiscally irresponsible and the world knows it! CEO Angela Braly of WellPoint Inc 2011 compensation 13 million CEO Stephen Hemsley United Healthcare 2011 compensation 10.8 million CEO Mark Bertolini AETNA 2011 compensation 8 million CEO Michael McCallister HUMANA 2011 compensation 6 million And these are just 4 PEOPLE this does not begin to touch the executive staff of these organizations or the other Health Insurance companies. We need a wake up call..37 million plus to pay 4 PEOPLE in Health Insurance companies?????? really?
  • Deborah K commented on 3/1/2012
    Your actions are nothing to be proud of. You do not represent your constituents by turning your back on what amounts to Medicare For All. Yet you enjoy free health care on OUR dime. It is not controversial, nor is your support of Cucinelli's opposition laudable. Aren't you sick of fundraisers so someone with a disease can get medical treatment? Listen to your constituents and support the health care law.
  • Steve Johnson commented on 3/15/2012
    Dear Congressman Forbes, Something surely needs to take place. Since deregulation in Virginia, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield it is difficult to keep up with their price increases. I am 40 years old and do not know were I will get the $1700 dollars a month to pay them when I am 55. Deregulation was sold to the american people as a way to spur competition and lower prices. This has yet to happen with all the industries that were deregulated. They are just like the banks, left unchecked greed runs wild. And just like the banks the insurance companies will gather to take more and more. But how can you fix the insurance industry when you first need to fix hospital billing. Hospitals have no truth in lending or truth in charging. Hospitals have become extremley profitable busnissess, they are using loopholes in billing to pay no tax. I do not support Federally run anything becuase their is always to much abuse. But I do not support your fight against it either. In one blog you talk about not increasing tax on corporations to create jobs, what good are these jobs if you can not live on the pay and benefits they offer. I think corporations provide health insurance should get a tax break, I think corporations and businessess that do not offer good benefits but have I high net yeild should be taxed very heavy. Do not reward greed. We need something done on health care and I am about to the point that I rather see something done even if it is wrong rather than no action or correction at all. So please be part of a solution. I would like to have the same health care benefits and retirement plan that we provide for you and the President.
  • William Chase commented on 3/21/2012
    Obama care is our worst nightmare. It is partof the plan to bring this country down. It must be repealed. then we need REAL healthcare reform, not this garbage. Rep. Forbes, Keep at it till it is gone.
  • Marian Neefus commented on 11/2/2012
    Thank you, Mr. Forbes, for your work in replacing and defunding the present health care bill. I hope sincere lawmakers of both parties find better ways to assist those who have trouble getting the care they need. I believe state, local and religious and nonprofit group sources serve us better. I don't like so much control of our lives by the federal government. It's the wrong direction. Thank you for your courage and intelligence as you help keep us free and aware of what's happening. May we have a bill that we read before it is voted upon.
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