Natalie Gonnella
In the wake of the health care rulings in Virginia and Florida and the defeat of repeal efforts in the Senate, last friday Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison led Republicans in introducing the Save our States Act (S. 281), which aims to:
[Delay] provisions and new regulations of the 2010 health care law not in effect on the date of enactment, until final judicial resolution of current lawsuits. The bill does not suspend features of the law already in effect on the date of enactment.
Of the 15 Senators backing Hutchison's proposal, four are GOP freshmen who each made repealing health care reform a central part of their 2010 campaigns.Three of the new Senators co-sponsoring the act are from states (Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas) where the governor has sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting changes to the current health care law.
Below is what the freshmen supporting the SOS bill had to say about the new proposal:
Kansas is constitutionally prohibited from spending money it does not have, and should not be forced to make major budget decisions in this highly uncertain landscape. The Save our States Act provides certainty by delaying any implementation of the health care law until its constitutionality is determined by our nation’s highest court.
Better health care at a lower cost is achievable if we do the right things, but we should not waste any more time or taxpayer dollars on this law until we have absolute judicial clarity. Two federal courts have already deemed this law unconstitutional, and employers are telling us they’re not hiring because of uncertainty created by ObamaCare. Americans deserve better, and we need to move forward with a plan that allows for more competition, more transparency, and better coverage.”
As the courts continue to weigh in on the new health care law, Congress should prevent the implementation of all remaining provisions. The fight to overturn the massive, unaffordable health care law is far from over. The right course of action is to repeal the law and replace it with sensible, cost-effective reforms of our health care system.
The constitutionality of the 2010 health care law was clearly in question when Congress raced to pass it in the dead of night. Now we have two courts ruling it unconstitutional. That being the case, there is no reason for taxpayers in all 50 states to begin spending millions of dollars implementing a plan that may ultimately be thrown out in its entirety. This commonsense legislation creates a ‘time-out’ while the question is settled
The bill is now with the Senate Finance Committee for review.
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