Supreme Court decision step in the right direction

December 3, 2011

By Raul Labrador U.S. Congress The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments on President Obama’s disastrous health care legislation, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is another step in the right direction to finally repeal this disastrous law once and for all. This unconstitutional takeover of the world’s best health care system compromises affordability, accessibility, quality, innovation and, most importantly, the sacred doctor-patient relationship. I have heard from thousands of Idahoans who have voiced concerns with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during the 111th Session of Congress. As a consequence, the first piece of legislation I cosponsored was to repeal the recently passed health care law. Furthermore, as a legislator in Idaho, I co-sponsored the bill that laid the framework for Idaho to join the lawsuit against PPACA. The Constitution does not grant the federal government the power to force Americans to purchase health insurance against their will. Furthermore, Congress must work to find solutions to make health care premiums more affordable. Finally, I believe that the new health care law will inhibit job creation and add to the federal deficit. We need to focus on finding solutions which will help grow our economy and reduce the national debt. Some of those solutions have received bipartisan support, for instance, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recently passed H.R. 4 and President Obama signed it into law. This bill, which I cosponsored, repealed the expansion of the Internal Revenue Service information reporting requirements that were included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Another bill I have cosponsored is H.R. 452, the Medicare Decisions Accountability Act of 2011. If enacted, it would repeal the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that established the Independent Physician Advisory Board. I do not believe that unelected, appointed bureaucrats should be able to dictate how much health care Medicare will provide. Finally, I have cosponsored H.R. 21, the Reclaiming Individual Liberty Act which would repeal the individual mandate that requires Americans to purchase health insurance. I want to assure you that my primary goal is to stop the implementation of PPACA. Since the Senate has failed to pass the repeal of the PPACA, my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives continue to work at dismantling this unconstitutional law piece-by-piece.