WASHINGTON, DC:
(Signatures updated 1/9/17)
For the last six years, Americans have endured extraordinary hardship under Obamacare, a thousand-page law of broken promises and failed policies. Sadly, millions of families and individuals have had their insurance plans cancelled and access to their doctors and drugs limited. And they have lacked affordable insurance options. Those Americans who are stuck with Obamacare are facing skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles, and shrinking health care networks. Tragically, many of our most vulnerable citizens, who were participating in safety-net health programs long before implementation of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, must now wait interminably to see overwhelmed health care providers — and some of those people die while they wait. It is true, of course, that some people have benefitted from the President’s law, but given the money spent, it would be extraordinary if there had been no benefit at all.
Since 2010, Republicans have promised comprehensive relief from Obamacare by fully repealing it. In December of 2015, they took a significant step towards the goal of full repeal by passing legislation through the budget reconciliation process that would have repealed Obamacare’s most significant provisions. A Republican Congress demonstrated that the same process used by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi to pass Obamacare could be used to repeal it. Although it was clear from the outset that President Obama would veto the measure, the effort demonstrated that repeal is achievable and laid the groundwork for a more comprehensive repeal bill once a Republican president occupied the White House.
The conservative movement calls on Congress to deliver on the mandate the American people gave them this November to repeal Obamacare completely. If Senator McConnell determines that the Senate majority cannot repeal the entire law through reconciliation because of questionable Senate rules and precedents, he should fight to repeal as much of the law as possible. Specifically, although last year’s reconciliation fight was a crucial first step, that legislation would have left intact Obamacare’s crushing insurance regulations. Those rules require all insurance plans to offer a standardized set of benefits constructed and mandated by Washington, and they include a number of actuarial standards and requirements that dramatically increase prices and limit access to health care. Those rules are the primary reason that President Obama’s promise that people could keep their doctors and have lower premiums was never realized.
The importance of eliminating Obamacare’s insurance mandates cannot be overstated. Although the Senate did not, last December, adjudicate whether the repeal of such measures could be included in reconciliation legislation, there is precedent for doing so as is evidenced by the 1996 welfare reform bill. Moreover, the Obamacare insurance rules cannot be surgically removed from the law’s essential and underlying structure, a fact even the Obama administration admitted during the King v. Burwell oral arguments.
If Congress cannot repeal the insurance regulations via reconciliation, it should minimize the penalties for selling non-compliant plans, empowering the administration and the states to create an escape for millions of Americans struggling under the burdens of Obamacare’s insurance regulations.
As Republicans across the country campaigned in 2016, they explicitly promised full repeal of Obamacare, and Americans, hearing their promises, elected them. Now that Republicans have won control of both houses of congress and the White House, they must keep their promise.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Former Attorney General President Ronald Reagan |
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop Chairman, Conservative Action Project Former White House Advisor, President Ronald Reagan |
| The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| Diana Banister President and Partner Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
Luke Hilgemann CEO Americans for Prosperity |
| David Bozell President ForAmerica |
The Honorable Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring, Inc. |
| Cleta Mitchell, Esq. |
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Former Domestic Advisor President Ronald Reagan |
| The Honorable David McIntosh President Club for Growth |
Alfred S. Regnery Chairman Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
| James L. Martin Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association |
Seton Motley President Less Government |
| David Williams President Taxpayers Protection Alliance |
Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
| Adam Brandon President FreedomWorks |
Lee A. Beaman Chief Executive Officer Beaman Automotive |
| Floyd Brown Chairman Western Center for Journalism |
The Honorable Mike Hill Former Florida State Representative |
| Willes K. Lee President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Rick Manning President Americans for Limited Government |
Pete Sepp President National Taxpayers Union |
| Bob Adams President Revive America PAC |
Christopher Malagisi President Young Conservatives Coalition |
| John McCardell President America’s Liberty Committee |
Richard H. Wright Retired Shreveport, LA |
| Donald Devine Former Director U.S. Office of Personnel Management and Senior Scholar, The Fund for American Studies |
Allen J. Hebert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship |
| Peter J. Thomas Chairman Americans for Constitutional Liberty |
Haley Martin President The Martin Foundation |
| Tricia Erickson President, Angel Pictures & Publicity, Inc. Publisher: www.TheConservativePundit.net |
Joe Calvert President Rabon-Calvert Interests |
| Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator for Conservatives of Faith |
Frank Cannon President American Principles Project |
| Rebecca Hagelin Board of Directors, FamilyTalk Secretary, Council for National Policy |
Neil Siefring Vice President Hilltop Advocacy, LLC |
| Rod D. Martin Founder and CEO The Martin Organization |
Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization |
| Nicholas Stehle Campaign for the American Future |
Shawn A. Mitchell National Chaplain, National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) |
| The Honorable Tom DeLay Former Majority Leader U.S. House of Representatives President, First Principles, LLC |
The Honorable Mike Spence President Conservative Republicans of California |
| Jack Park Conservative Activist and Donor |
Donna Rice Hughes President & CEO Enough Is Enough |
| Richard Bott, II President & CEO Bott Radio Network |
Briscoe Cain Texas Legal Counsel, Operation Rescue Texas State Representative |
| The Honorable Tim G. Echols Public Service Commissioner State of Georgia |
Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
| Kevin D. Freeman Founder NSIC Institute |
Thomas A. Schatz President Citizens Against Government Waste |
| The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli President Senate Conservatives Fund |
Michael R. Long State Chairman NYS Conservative Party |
| Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
| Rob Brockhaus President & Founder Red Sycamore Group |
Matt Mackowiak Founder Fight For Tomorrow |
| Melissa Ortiz Founder & Principal Able Americans |
Sir Knight Alex-St James Executive Director, Blacks Economic-Security Today Trust (BEST TRUST) |
| James C. Dobson Ph.D. Founder & President Family Talk |
C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. |
| Ryan Bomberger Chief Creative Officer The Radiance Foundation |
Amy Ridenour Chairman, The National Center for Public Policy Research |
| Jonathan Alexandre Liberty Counsel Action Director of Public Policy |
Mat Staver Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman |
| Andresen Blom Executive Director Grassroot Hawaii Action |
Kenneth R. Timmerman
Author & Columnist |
| Dan Weber
President, Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) |
Terrence Scanlon Retired President Capital Research Center |
| Susan A. Carleson Chairman and CEO American Civil Rights Union |
Ron Pearson President Pearson & Pipkin |
| Dr. Richard G. Lee President There’s Hope America |
Linwood Bragan Executive Director CapStand Council for Policy & Ethics |
| Quin Hillyer Veteran conservative columnist |
Forest Thigpen President Mississippi Center for Public Policy |
| William H. Shaker President American Council for Health Care Reform |
Rick Scarborough President Vision America Action |
| Michael Bowen CEO Coalition For a Strong America |
Jim Backlin Christian Coalition of America |
| Jay Mount President MDS Communications |
Gerrye Johnston Founder/CEO Women for Democracy in America, Inc. |
| William A. Estrada, Esq. Director of Federal Relations Home School Legal Defense Association |
Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
| The Honorable James C. Miller III Former Director of OMB President Ronald Reagan |
Stephen Stone President Renew America |
| Sean Noble President American Encore |
Phil Kerpen President American Commitment |
| Mike Stenhouse CEO RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity |
Jenny Beth Martin Co-Founder Tea Party Patriots |
| Penny Pullen President, Life Advocacy Resource Project Former Illinois State Representative and IL Republican National Committeewoman |
Tim Wildmon President AFA |
| Ted Baehr Publisher MOVIEGUIDE® |
Heather R. Higgins President and CEO Independent Women’s Voice |
| Sabrina Schaeffer Executive Director Independent Women’s Forum |
Nancy Schulze Founder Republican Congressional Wives Speakers |
| Wade Kirby Member Council for National Policy |
Thomas S. Winter Editor in Chief Emeritus HumanEvents.com |
| Belden Bell Co-Chair Heritage Legacy Society |
Tom DeWeese President American Policy Center |
| Lewis K. Uhler President National Tax Limitation Committee |
Star Parker Founder and President Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) |
| Cindy Honcoop State Director Washington Eagle Forum |
(All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only)
