In the News

By: BOB GOODLATTE, H. MORGAN GRIFFITH AND ROBERT HURT | Times-Dispatch

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/oped/2012/jul/03/tdopin02-goodlatte-griffith-and-hurt-gop-exhibits--ar-2029889/

In the days after the Supreme Court's disappointing ruling on President Obama's health care law, the resolve of the American people and Republicans in Congress only grows stronger. While the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Obamacare on the basis that it is a tax, this decision certainly does not make the law good policy. A law that raises taxes, destroys jobs, and hampers economic growth, while doing nothing to rein in soaring health care costs is simply the wrong prescription for Virginians.

Virginians are now presented with a choice: a future of bigger government, fewer options, and increased health care costs under Obamacare, or a future of smaller government and affordable health care options where decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not Washington bureaucrats. We choose the latter.

Just over two years ago, our health care system was radically changed when President Obama and congressional Democrats rammed the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act through Congress, ignoring the strong objections of the American people. In fact, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously told Americans that Congress would have to pass this bill so that they could find out what was in it. The American people have a message for congressional Democrats: Now that we know what's in it, we don't want it.

This 2,700 page law, and the murky process in which it was drafted, represents an affront to our democracy and a fundamental departure from the founding principles of our nation by placing more faith in government than in the American people. The results? Compromised freedoms, increased health insurance premiums, lost jobs, and less access to quality and affordable care.

Regardless of which part of the commonwealth you call home, the voices and the stories we hear are similar. The president's health care law is making things worse. We have heard from seniors who are concerned about getting the care they need under this law. Hard-working families are worried about skyrocketing costs. Small-business owners refuse to grow and expand their businesses because the uncertainty created by this law is too great. With employment stuck above 8 percent, removing barriers to employment — including the threat of higher taxes, new government regulations and costly mandates — is more important than ever.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced that the House will vote on July 11 to fully repeal Obamacare. Let this be a sign that the fight for full repeal of this costly, job-killing law is far from over. The House will once again give the Senate an opportunity to repeal this bill. The choice is simple: Again ignore the will of the American people, or join the House in full repeal of this misguided law.

We are confident that if the Senate chooses the latter, both parties can and will come together to pass patient-centered reforms that will deliver the highest quality care at affordable prices without jeopardizing jobs across this country. Any policy that we pass must adhere to a uniform concept: Empower patients with choices and protect and preserve the doctor-patient relationship.

In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts articulated that the court's job is not to remove the political consequences from the policymakers' actions. While we do not agree with the chief justice's final opinion, we do agree with this particular sentiment. It is time for the representatives of the American people to listen to their wishes and repeal this bill before irreparable damage is done to our health care system and our nation.

The American people cherish our nation's founding principles of limited government, free enterprise and individual liberty. Despite the fact that the court rejected the expansion of federal regulating authority under the commerce clause, we still believe the court seriously undermined individual liberty and free enterprise. Just because it has been called a tax does not remove the fact that the law has compromised our liberties.

The very foundations of this great nation are threatened by Obamacare. We will not stand idly by. As representatives for the good people of Virginia, we know it is our duty to let the voices of Virginians be heard as we do our part in working to return us to a nation of smaller government and greater liberty that our founders intended.

The writers are Republicans representing Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives. Contact the office of Bob Goodlatte, 6th District, at Kathryn.Rexrode@mail.house.gov; contact the office of H. Morgan Griffith, 9th District, at Maggie.Seidel@mail.house.gov; contact the office of Robert Hurt , 5th District, at Gena.Villari@mail.house.gov.