Speaker John Boehner
Washington D.C. 20515
October 9, 2013
Dear Speaker Boehner, leaders and members of the U.S. House and Senate,
Our Turning Point, a coalition of Southwest Ohio grassroots organizations, offers this open letter expressing our views on the current debate surrounding the funding and implementation of Obamacare.
Grassroots liberty organizations have worked diligently over the past several years to stop the passage, then the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) now known as Obamacare. We are united with a majority of Americans that have consistently opposed the creation of a federally controlled health insurance program including the forced individual mandates, creation of state health care exchanges and expansion of Medicaid.
Throughout the current partial government slowdown, we applaud the efforts of House leadership to fund individual parts of the federal government at sequester levels while excluding all funding for implementing ObamaCare. The proper role of Congress is to address funding of individual departments of government, not the repeated passage of all-encompassing continuing budget resolutions we have witnessed over the last five years. Delaying the funding for Obamacare is acceptable only as a vehicle to assure the elimination of this intrusive and costly program.
The PPACA was never vetted as an actual law, but was written as a bargaining document intended to be merged
with House legislation. After loss of the Democrats’ 60 vote Senate majority, Obamacare was narrowly forced through Congress on a strictly party line vote by utilizing reconciliation and parliamentary deception. This is unprecedented in our history for any major social entitlement legislation.
Our Turning Point groups also reject the narrative that ObamaCare funding is on auto-pilot, the claim that it’s ‘permanent law’ and that defunding will not shutdown the program. Both HHS and the IRS still require annually appropriated funds to be able to spend ‘permanent law’ funds, and therefore defunding ObamaCare would, in fact, shut down ObamaCare. In addition, the exchange premium subsidies and Medicaid expansion funding aren’t scheduled to begin until January 1, 2014. Our Turning Point continues to oppose Ohio’s attempts to expand Medicaid.
Each day, the negative consequences and real cost of Obamacare (in both financial and human terms) become more apparent to families and businesses across the country and therefore the program demands dismantling.
- President Obama’s initial cost projection for Obamacare was $900 billion dollars over ten years. A recent Senate Budget committee analysis found that Obamacare will cost nearly $2.6 trillion dollars over ten years.
- The President’s original promised savings of $2500 per family has morphed into an increase of $3000 per family, according to a (Kaiser Foundation study).
- Selective, unfair enforcement is rampant: hundreds of labor unions, large employers and Congress are exempt
- Young healthy Americans penalized with high premiums to subsidize the high cost to care for older Americans, as if the $17 trillion debt were not sufficient punishment for simply being a younger American
- The mandates and fines will ensure higher unemployment and a growing number of people working less than 30 hours per week
The leaders and concerned citizens signed on this letter strongly support proven free-market health care reforms that would reduce the cost and increase the availability of insurance and care for every American, including a plan to cover those with pre-existing conditions. We strongly urge Congress to scrap the PPACA/Obamacare and start over with common sense reforms that incorporate the suggestions listed below. Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, will embrace options that expand choices while protecting privacy and freedom from federal intrusion and control in our personal health care decisions.
1. Allow everyone to maintain his/her current health insurance. No exceptions. Treat everyone the same, including all Members of Congress and government employees.
2. Allow the elderly and all doctors the choice between private insurance and Medicare.
3. Allow individuals to receive tax deductions for personal Health Savings Accounts.
4. Allow insurance companies to compete across state lines.
5. Help those with pre-existing medical conditions and the very poor through significant block grants to the states.
6. Provide all citizens advance knowledge of their health care costs (excluding medical emergencies).
7. Provide reasonable maximums for “pain and suffering.”
8. Avert Medicare’s bankruptcy by providing fewer benefits to the wealthy.
9. Eliminate first-dollar coverage. Everyone should pay at least something for any medical service.
10. Ensure that medical insurance is portable from job to job, and personally owned.
Speaker Boehner, defunding Obamacare is the campaign promise that brought many of your GOP House colleagues to DC in 2010 and 2012. More importantly, this is the defining issue and test of leadership that will forever alter the future and quality of life for 300 million Americans as well as millions not yet born. No major entitlement, once fully implemented has ever been rescinded.
The undersigned demand that House leadership maintain their unwavering commitment to stopping the funding for Obamacare using all the tools and leverage at your disposal. The upcoming debt ceiling deadline will be a rigorous test of your resolve. It is imperative that Congress agree to pay interest on the debt while holding steadfast against any agreement that funds Obamacare. The framers of our Constitution wisely placed the power of the purse with the House because it directly expresses the will of the people. Your task as legislators is to exercise that power as it was intended, to stop the unbridled growth of a program that will do irreparable harm to the nation.
Respectfully,
Richard A. Inman
Board Member, Our Turning Point
Adriana Inman
Fairfield Tea Party
Linda Keller
Butler County Faith-Based Conservative
Nita Thomas,
Board Member, Our Turning Point
Susan McLaughlin
Board Member, Liberty Township Tea Party
Katy Kern
Board Member, Liberty Township Tea Party
Geof Vrbancic
Liberty Township Tea Party
Carl Sanker
Liberty Township Tea Party
Leo Gray
Liberty Township Tea Party
Jay Groenke
Eastern Hills Community Action
Gena Bell
Eastern Hills Community Action
Edward Bell
Eastern Hills Community Action
Joe Platt
Northwest Hamilton Co. Tea Party
