Opinion

Health care bill must be repealed in full

Friday, June 29, 2012

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold most of the President's health care law, Nebraskans deserve to know what the decision means and what steps Congress will take to repeal the law in full to lower health care costs while increasing access to care.

The Court ruled on a 5-4 vote the federal mandate compelling individuals to purchase health care was Constitutional under Congress' power to tax. I respectfully disagree with the decision, in part because the requirement to purchase minimum health coverage was clearly written as a mandate, not as a tax. Even the President and other Democrats have argued strongly the mandate is not a tax.

However, the ruling eliminates the possibility the Court would overturn the entire law, instead leaving the responsibility of repeal in the hands of Congress. Said another way, the choice to repeal or leave the law in place lays entirely in the hands of the American people. On this point, Chief Justice John Roberts was quite clear.

Further, simply because the law is Constitutional does not make it good policy; nor does it mean the American people deserve policy they don't want rammed through on an entirely partisan basis.

Our health care system is broken and this law is making it worse, not better. More than two years after passage, health care costs continue to rise and millions of Americans are faced with losing the health coverage they were promised they could keep. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates as many as 20 million Americans could lose their current health benefits with this law in place, and the cost of health insurance will rise by $2,100 per family by 2016.

The law expands the size and scope of government. The estimated cost of the law has nearly doubled to $2 trillion according to CBO. Furthermore, the law already has added more than 12,000 pages of regulations to the Federal Register.

The House of Representatives already has passed H.R. 2 which repeals the health care law in its entirety, and we will vote on repeal again in the coming weeks. If the Senate and President refuse to join us in this effort, we will continue to undo the law piece by piece. The House already has passed, and the President already has signed into law, nine provisions to repeal or defund portions of the law.

However, repeal alone is not enough; our health care system is broken and needs patient-centered reforms which would lead to lower costs and greater access to care. Therefore the House of Representatives will pursue market-based policies which reduce costs. This process will begin in the Ways and Means Committee, where I will continue efforts to find real health care solutions to benefit all Americans without tax increases and onerous government mandates.

Learning from the experience of Obamacare, we will not rush to pass a massive bill without the support of the American people. Instead, we will take a step-by-step approach and build consensus around commonsense ideas to lower the costs and expand access to care.

The Supreme Court ruling was a setback but not a defeat, and with the support of the American people and Nebraskans, we will repeal this law. Our resolve and the stakes for the future of America's health care system never have been higher.

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  • Why? What's your plan to replace it with? Do you have anything to replace something that was long overdue.

    It's easy to just say let's get rid of it, But you want to go back to where insurance companies can kick people out for having preexisting conditions?, go over their lifetime max benefit?, and kids can stay on your plan till 26 years of age?, while they are still getting their feet on the ground.

    Adrian what is your plan? Market based polices?, Which is exactly what the current plan does.

    What have you done while in office? I have yet to see one thing you have done to help the people in this state.

    Those are some things that need answering.

    -- Posted by Jody P. on Sun, Jul 1, 2012, at 12:11 PM
  • HAVE NOTICED THAT THE ONLY ONES THAT WANT TO GET RID OF THE HEALTH CARE PROGRAM ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE INSURANCE. I DON'T HAVE ANY INSURANCE SINCE MY WIFE PASSED AWAY SHE HAD A FAMILY INSURANCE THROUGH HER JOB. THEY WANTED ME TO PAY 480.00 DOLLARS A MONTH JUST FOR ME I HAVE NO HEALTH PROBLEMS. I CAN NOT AFFORD THAT SO WHAT DO YOU DO RUN FOR THE SENATE AND GET IT FREE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE LIKE THEY DO PAYED FOR BY US?

    -- Posted by rifleman on Sun, Jul 1, 2012, at 2:03 PM
  • rifleman, WHY DO YOU NEED TO TYPE WITH YOUR CAPS ON? IT MAKES YOU APPEAR AS YOUR YELLING!

    So please do us a favor and turn them off, so you can read your message as it should appear.

    Thank you!

    PS, I agree with you letter, I wished more would be think of others out there that need insurance and can't get it due to multitude of health problems. Your at least luck you don't have health problems like some and are denied coverage.

    Yes, Adrian Smith was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and has found a golden goose, The US Congress. He's even said he will do this till he retires, with his record he could quit now or work another 50 years and never make any difference to anyone here in this state.

    Oh, Those 3rd district voters are a savvy bunch!

    -- Posted by Jody P. on Sun, Jul 1, 2012, at 8:23 PM
  • I'm sorry about that I'm not that type of a person I just didn't push the cap lock it will not happen again.

    -- Posted by rifleman on Sun, Jul 1, 2012, at 9:56 PM
  • No problem Rifleman. Some are just not aware they are doing it, and what it implies.

    Take care!

    -- Posted by Jody P. on Tue, Jul 3, 2012, at 12:42 PM
  • *

    You commenter's proceed under a false assumption. The government cannot fix the problem in health care because the government IS the problem in health care.

    The government has been manipulating costs of health care for years, and under Medicare, they forced doctors to provide services at a loss, and then did not make it up to the doctors. Doctors then raised costs to covers losses the government was forcing them to take.

    You add Medicaid to this mess, and you can see why we have a problem. There are several answers and fixes, but solutions are demonized by Democrats as they only have one solution in mind. And that is total and complete control.

    All you have to do is look at governments record in these kinds of things. Every single one of us knows someone on disability from the government who is not really disabled, and we know folks who really are disabled, who cannot get benefits. That is government.

    And Democrats inject politics into health care, because we know beyond any shadow of doubt will be covered under Obamacare.

    Every single abortion that anyone wants for any reason will be covered. Any contraception wanted by anyone will be covered. Sex change operations will be covered. Also, untold thousands of mental conditions, with folks getting the government to pay all of their depression medicine. All that will be covered.

    Now, if you are a 68 year old woman in need of a knee transplant, sorry honey, take a pill and go home.

    Fixing the problem is simple, but we will never do it, as Democrats lately seek to takeover the world, and are freaking crazy anymore.

    Here is how you fix it, and it takes no genius to figure this out.

    1. get government out of health care.

    2. give vouchers to the needy to buy help care in the marketplace like everyone else.

    3. have the states set up a fund, collecting 5% of the premium from customers to cover folks with pre-existing conditions.

    4. give tax breaks to employers that provide coverage for employees

    5. 65 and over folks should be given vouchers to buy health care in the marketplace.

    6. The government pays for this by charging China a 10% tax to do business in America.

    7. Regulate lawyers and their lawsuits against the medical industry. Remember, anybody with the cash can be a lawyer, but it takes brains to be a doctor.

    OMG that is so freakin complicated huh? Wow, you got to go to Harvard and sit at the feet of Marxists to learn it takes 2800 pages of crap to fix things.

    The Democrats will not allow these fixes because they are investing in crippling the system so that the only way out will be to have complete government control.

    Let me add one thing please: we all have police protection, don't we. We are all covered by our law enforcement. Does that mean that a policeman in stationed at your house?

    If four calls come into the dispatcher, and she has 2 cars available, what must the dispatcher do?

    She has to ration the available help to the seriousness of the calls coming in. So, a prowler would rate higher that a barking dog. Now what if one of the callers is the Mayor? Does he automatically go to the top of the list? What if one of the calls is Ben Nelson? Will he go to the top of the list regardless of what the other calls are about?

    Another question, do you liberals, in your heart of hearts, believe that we have equal protection under the law? Or it is more true, that the guy with the best Lawyer wins?

    If you are 68, and needing a heart transplant, will you be given the same priority as a US Senator? Come on, be honest. You will not have the same care as the Senator, because the Senator has exempted himself from the law. If it is such a dandy law, why the exemption.

    I take the time to write this, because you folks need to start thinking about ways to provide for your own needs, and stop looking to government. You will earn, in time and aggravation, every dime you get from the government.

    Please don't be so anxious to have some intellectual weenie solve your problems. You have the God given talent to live your life without enslaving yourself to the government.

    -- Posted by sameldridge on Tue, Jul 3, 2012, at 2:35 PM
  • 2 the government gives vouchers

    3 the state government sets up a fund

    4 the government gives tax breaks

    5 the government gives vouchers

    6 the government charges china

    7 the government regulates lawyers

    wow sham that is a great way to get government out of healthcare. hahaha you say get government out of health care then say point by point what we need to do to make this happen. the only problem is every point has to do with government.

    -- Posted by president obama on Wed, Jul 4, 2012, at 4:46 PM
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