At the end of the second day of Supreme Court arguments regarding the constitutionality of Obamacare, the debate over the law and its implications have assumed a renewed vigor in the media and in our public debate. Since my early days fighting TennCare in Tennessee, I have been a solid and consistent opponent of government-run healthcare. As a member of the committee and subcommittee of jurisdiction, and the only female Republican invited to the Blair House summit, I participated in a Press Conference today at the Supreme Court to talk about Obamacare’s consequences for all Americans and our healthcare system. Here’s a quick reminder on just some of what we’re facing should this law be upheld:
- According to CBO, the cost of the bill has already doubled.
- Up to twenty million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored healthcare.
- Twenty new or higher taxes are planned on American families and employers.
- For Tennesseans, TennCare estimates 242,291 new enrollees due to the law, at a cost of $1.125 billion from 2014-2019.
- Regulatory uncertainty for small-business job creators has diminished new hiring.
- The cost of individual premiums is already up almost ten percent.
My bill, HR 371, will repeal the government takeover of healthcare and replace it with market-based systems that will increase access and decrease costs by allowing for the purchase of health insurance across state lines, and I am committed to replacing Obamacare with reform in its image.
