Sen. Pres. Raye Statement on SCOTUS Obamacare Decision
It is now clear that, if the law stands, it entails an unprecedented coercive new tax on the American people. Read More
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Thu, 06/28/2012 - 1:08pm (new)
Posted by thistle
Office of the Maine Senate President
State House Station 3
Augusta, Maine 04333
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 28, 2012
STATEMENT OF SENATE PRESIDENT KEVIN RAYE
ON THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON OBAMACARE
Today’s Supreme Court ruling means it is up to the voters to elect a Congress and a President who will repeal a flawed and unworkable 2,700 page law rammed through with the kind of heavy-handed partisanship that disgusts the American people and has left Washington broken and dysfunctional. It is now clear that, if the law stands, it entails an unprecedented coercive new tax on the American people. Congress has a responsibility to start over and work together to enact true bipartisan health care reform that will give working families more choice and flexibility and help reduce the cost of health insurance without exploding the deficit, burdening struggling small businesses and destroying American jobs.
Among those reforms should be measures to:
* establish Association Health Plans so small businesses can pool together to negotiate lower rates;
* allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines;
* make it easier for Americans to keep health coverage if they lose or change jobs;
* ensure guaranteed access for those with pre-existing or chronic conditions; and
* provide consumers with choice and access to clear information about health care options available to them.
I am eager to get clarification of one potentially encouraging aspect of the Court’s decision that may help us achieve needed MaineCare reforms by striking down ObamaCare’s troubling provision requiring states to spend more on Medicaid at a time when states are struggling with budget shortfalls.
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