Don't Fix Obamacare

Jan 24, 2015
Source: The Weekly Standard
by: Jeffery H. Anderson

In the official Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, newly elected Iowa senator Joni Ernst stressed the importance of combating liberals’ “stale mindset” that has “led to failed policies like Obamacare,” while reaffirming Republicans’ commitment to “fighting to repeal and replace” that disastrous legislation. To find an opportunity to match their words with actions, Republicans won’t have to wait long.

On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell. Obamacare’s plain text says that its taxpayer-funded subsidies can only be paid out through state-based exchanges, yet the Obama administration has been paying out through federal exchanges as well. If the Supreme Court rules in King that Obama has been distributing subsidies in violation of Obamacare’s written text—that he has been paying them out illegally—millions of Americans across the 36 states with federal exchanges will lose their subsidies and, in most cases, their health insurance. The case should be decided shortly before July 4, and the way in which Republicans prepare for the ruling will go a long way toward showing how genuine their commitment to repealing and replacing Obamacare is.

Republicans can respond to a ruling finding the federal-exchange subsidies illegal in two main ways: They can negotiate “fixes” to Obamacare with the administration, or they can propose effectively repealing and replacing Obamacare in 36 states. The first response would help take the wind out of repeal’s sails; the second would help set the stage for victory in November 2016 and full repeal in January 2017.

While the Obama White House continues to treat this shutdown like a game to be won, leaders in the House of Representatives are working hard to protect ordinary Americans from the crippling cascade of Obamacare regulations. Since all budget bills originate in the House, our representatives must not wither from the task of preventing this harmful law from striking everyday Americans.

We must defund Obamacare.

Obamacare, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the central piece of President Obama’s plan to leave a legacy of massive government expansion toward dictating how Americans live their lives each day. Obamacare’s mandates will saddle hard working Americans with soaring coverage costs and stymie the entrepreneurial spirit of small business growth.

Promising only to further deepen the ocean of U.S. national debt, this law will eventually lead to staggering waiting lines for routine treatment and ultimately create the rationing of healthcare.

Simply put, Obamacare is a dangerous precedent that will lead to the federal takeover of large, cornerstone segments of the economy. We must tell our elected officials to keep their resolve against President Obama and his bastion of unbending support in the Senate.

Click here to sign this petition and tell your member of Congress and two Senators that now is the time for action to prevent immeasurable damage to our economy and healthcare system inflicted by a law passed without the support of the people.

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