Politics & Government

Rep. Jason Altmire Opposes Repeal of Health Care Reform Law

House voted Wednesday to repeal the federal health care overhaul.

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4th District, released a statement today (Wednesday) explaining why he opposes repealing the 2010 health care reform law.

House lawmakers voted Wednesday to repeal the federal health care overhaul—the latest in a long line of anti-ObamaCare votes, but the first vote since the Supreme Court upheld the law, according to Fox News.

The vote was 244 to 185, with five Democrats voting for repeal—Jim Matheson of Utah, Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Dan Boren of Oklahoma, and Mike Ross of Arkansas, according to NBC Politics on msnbc.com. 

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No Republicans voted against the repeal.

“I will not support the repeal bill that is being put forth by House leadership and faces certain defeat in the Senate. Congress needs do what we should have been doing all along—working together in a bipartisan fashion to improve upon the law and bring down health care costs," Altmire stated.

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“When this vote came before the House the first time, I refused to waste the time and resources of the American taxpayers by engaging in a purely partisan exercise that had no chance of becoming law. 

 “I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the parts of this legislation that are bad policy—including the 2.3 percent tax imposed on American-manufactured medical devices—and enact real reforms that improve the quality and affordability of health care for all Americans."

Altmire said he originally voted against the 2010 health care reform bill because his constituents were overwhelmingly against it, and he believed the bill was flawed policy.

"I never argued, however, that it was unconstitutional, and now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law, including the individual mandate, health care providers, hospitals, and doctors can move forward with implementation knowing that the patients they see will have coverage," Altmire said. "The decision also provides certainty to American families, businesses and the government as they plan for the long-term."

 

What do you think about Altmire's stand on the 2010 health care reform law, which is also called Obamacare? Tell us in the comments.


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