Sunday, April 23, 2017

Just Repeal Obamacare

Let's Have a Clean Repeal of ObamaCare With No Replacement

The biggest problem with the ObamaCare legislation (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PL 111-148, and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, PL 111-152) is that it enabled a huge increase of government involvement in healthcare. This has led to soaring healthcare insurance premiums, loss of insurance coverage, loss of choice of insurance plans, etc., etc.

We don't need the various ObamaCare-lite and ObamaCare 2.0 proposals that would partially repeal ObamaCare, then replace what's been repealed with continued government involvement in and control of our healthcare system.

What we need is legislation that would repeal the basic ObamaCare laws in such a way that the provisions of law amended or repealed by the ObamaCare laws would be restored or revived as if ObamaCare had not been enacted.

Happily, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) introduced H.R. 1718 ("ObamaCare Repeal Act") on March 24 to accomplish this. Although he only has three cosponsors so far, he spoke at length about his plans for bringing his bill to a vote during a radio interview on April 3:

First thing to do is to get a bunch of co-sponsors so that the House leadership starts to take notice. The second thing to do is to file a discharge petition that forces it past the committee structure and straight to the House floor for a vote. So, I'm hopeful that, when we get to the point in time where I can file a discharge petition, that we will slowly but surely get the signatures on that petition.

I can't do it right now. Under House rules, I have to wait 30 legislative days. In calendar days, that translates into some time in late May, or June, just depending on how many days we're in session. But, when that time comes, if we've not addressed the repeal of Obamacare to the satisfaction of the American people, then I'm going to file that discharge petition. And at that point, it will be up to the American people to decide if they really want a repeal of Obamacare.

If they do, they contact their congressman, they get enough congressmen to sign that discharge petition, we have a House floor vote, and boom, we repeal it.

So, as Rep. Brooks said in his interview, what he needs now is "a bunch of co-sponsors" to get the attention of House leadership.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had already introduced S. 106 ("ObamaCare Repeal Act") on January 11 with almost identical wording to H.R. 1718.

Please phone your U.S. representative (202-225-3121) and senators (202-224-3121) and ask them to become cosponsors of H.R. 1718 and S. 106. Tell them you want a clean repeal of ObamaCare with no replacment.

Please also email your representative and senators with the same message.


Thanks. Your Friends at The John Birch Society

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