House Republicans lived up to their promise to vote on repeal of ObamaCare and for that we are grateful. But the roadblocks to enactment of the measure are great. From the filibuster to a presidential veto, the bill has long odds to become law without another national election. But Republicans can–and must–turn symbolism into reality by shifting their focus to the individual pieces of the legislation that are most offensive and intrusive.
Individual Mandate: The House should have an up and down vote on the individual mandate provisions of the legislation. Time and time again, House Democrats have failed to answer the basic question – where in the Constitution does it authorize the Congress to force individuals to purchase health insurance? Nancy Pelosi scoffed at the suggestion Congress’ power can be restrained. Former House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers said there were a “very good set of arguments” for the constitutionality of the mandate but he couldn’t name any. Rep. John Lewis cited the “pursuit of happiness” language of the Constitution as the basis for its constitutionality. Of course, “pursuit of happiness” comes from the Declaration of Independence not the Constitution.
Rationing: Thousands of lives hang in the balance on the FDA’s Avastin decision. The drug, which extends life of late-stage cancer patients, is about to be “de-labeled” for by the FDA for breast cancer patients because of cost-considerations. Women who rely on the drug to survive are already starting to see coverage denied even before final FDA action. Democrats have joined Republicans in protesting the FDA’s actions. Congress should vote up or down on the Avastin decision as well as on legislation to end future rationing of drugs and treatments.
Funding: U.S. health spending is projected to rise 9.2% in 2014, up from the 6.6% projected before the law took effect. With budget deficits as the eye can see, ending funding for ObamaCare is a major step in reducing out of control federal spending. The Congressional Budget Office has said that repealing ObamaCare will reduce federal spending by over half a trillion dollars.
Taxes: The specious claim that ObamaCare reduces the deficit rests upon the tax increases contained in the legislation. The legislation contained $770 billion in new taxes.
Congress must move down this path. Repeal of the law has garnered more bipartisan support than enactment of the law did. Breaking up the offending provisions will certainly garner ever more support and add additional momentum to the effort.