E-Newsletter

ObamaCare one year later

This past Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of ObamaCare. This is one anniversary I won’t be buying chocolates for.  Last year, prior to my election to the House, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that we have to pass the health care bill to find out what is in it. A year after the legislation was rammed through Congress and signed into law by the President, we know what’s in it and we don’t like it.  Many of my constituents in the 9th District did not want ObamaCare a year ago, and they certainly do not want it now.

The effects of this law are far reaching. Businesses, families, and state governments will feel the negative impacts if it is not stopped. With unemployment hovering around 9 percent, ObamaCare’s costly mandates and burdensome administrative requirements will hurt our nation’s small businesses and hamper their ability to create new jobs.  Even Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, previously a supporter of ObamaCare, said earlier this week that the pressures imposed on small businesses by the law are “too great.” A massive expansion of Medicaid under the law would increase the burden on states’ budgets by at least $118 billion. Since the law fails to lower costs, insurance companies will also be forced to increase premiums. The Congressional Budget Office found that rates would increase by an average of $2,100 per family.  These are costs many working families simply cannot afford.

Originally, Democrats promised that if you liked your health care plan, you could keep it. One year later we know that you need a waiver to keep your plan. Already more than 1,000 employers, health plans, and unions have received waivers because the law would force them to drop coverage for employees. Recently, I signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 984, the Health Care Waiver Fairness Act. This bill would give every American the opportunity to receive a waiver from this law. A waiver would be approved as long as the individual could identify how mandates in ObamaCare would “result in a significant decrease in access to coverage or a significant increase in premiums or other costs.” If you want to keep your current plan, you should have that option without risking a penalty.

Furthermore, as a Member of Congress, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution.  Requiring individuals to purchase health insurance is a direct violation of our nation’s constitutional principles.  When it comes to health care, we need choices that will lower costs and improve access – not unconstitutional mandates. 

In the House, we are working to develop commonsense solutions that are patient-centered, not government-centered. In the Energy and Commerce Committee we have held a number of hearings regarding the impacts of ObamaCare and legislation to eliminate the bill piece by piece. If there is an insurance policy in another state that is the best option for your family, you should be able to cross state lines to buy it. If local businesses and associations want to get together to pool resources, they should have that choice.

Make no mistake; the health care system in our country does need reform, but that reform should not result in a costly government takeover. One of my first votes in Congress was to fully repeal ObamaCare. Since January, I have voted to block discretionary funding for the law, eliminate the burdensome 1099 paperwork mandate, and ban federal funding of abortions. We cannot afford a law that threatens to bankrupt future generations, does nothing to lower costs or improve access, stifles job creation and goes against the Constitution. Repealing this law and replacing it with patient-centered reforms will spur economic growth by removing barriers for job creators and provide the American people with the flexibility they need to obtain the best quality of care for themselves and their families. We can do better than ObamaCare.

As your representative in Congress, I want to you hear from you. If you have concerns or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov. You can also call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.