E-Newsletter

Repeal and Replace

Health care took center stage in Washington this past week. There was a great deal of debate on the House floor. While our health care system needs reform, ObamaCare is not the answer. According to the Congressional Budget Office, ObamaCare will cost $1.2 trillion and increase taxes by $569 billion. With the national debt exceeding $14 trillion, we simply cannot afford a law that threatens to bankrupt future generations and does nothing to lower health care costs. Repealing ObamaCare will end the burdensome, bureaucratic, IRS 1099 mandate and give businesses the certainty they need to grow.

Almost 10 months after this flawed law was rammed through Congress, the House of Representatives voted 245-189 to repeal it. This vote is just the first step. The legislation now awaits Senate action. Whether any action will be taken is unknown.

One day after the repeal vote, I, along with a majority of my House colleagues, passed a resolution (H. Res. 9) instructing committees of jurisdiction to work on commonsense reforms to replace the misguided ObamaCare provisions. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the committees of jurisdiction, I will work to identify and promote affordable, patient-centered alternatives. We need policies that create jobs and improve access to care without busting the budget. If there is an insurance policy in Tennessee, North Carolina or West Virginia 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 and improve access to care, they should have that choice.

I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and when it comes to health care, we need choices--not unconstitutional mandates. Your personal health care decisions should be made by you and your doctor, and no one else.

In the coming weeks, we will pursue creative solutions designed to lower costs, ensure coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, and prohibit taxpayer funded abortions. If you wish to contact my office regarding health care reform or other issues before Congress, I invite you to visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov or call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405.