Schmidt on SCOTUS Decision

Release from Rep. Jean Schmidt:

I'm disappointed by the Supreme Court ruling. Two years ago, when the Democrats who then controlled the House passed the so-called Affordable Care Act, they were adamant that it wasn’t a tax. President Obama was adamant that it wasn’t a tax. Now, the Supreme Court says it’s a tax. Regardless of how it’s labeled, the law should be repealed.

I was among members of the House who voted to repeal the so called health-care reform law at the beginning of the 112th Congress. That action has been blocked by Democrats in the Senate. Clearly, Congress needs to revisit the matter.

While President Obama claims the law would help control costs, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that it could cause premiums on the individual market to rise. The Congressional Budget Office has also reported that the health care law could actually reduce job opportunities by some 800,000.

Our nation has the best doctors and hospitals in the world, but I'm concerned that this law won't ensure better care for patients. Instead, it could dictate how doctors practice medicine – and it could reduce treatment options for patients on the basis of cost.

I’m particularly troubled by the fact that President Obama’s health-care initiative would force religious institutions to offer their employees services such as birth control, sterilization procedures, and abortions, which might be contrary to a church’s moral precepts. That would infringe upon our religious liberties as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Lawsuits stressing that point have been filed by Catholic institutions.