Rokita Says Obamacare Ruling "Highly Disappointing,' Will Continue Fighting to Repeal and Replace With Consumer-Driven Reforms

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita today made the following statement after the Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding most of the 2010 health care law, known as "Obamacare." A video clip of Rokita's response to the ruling is below:

"The more that Hoosiers have found out about Obamacare, the more they've disliked it. When the law was just a bill, its supporters promised that it would lower our deficit. We soon found out that promise was false. The president promised that everyone who was happy with their current health plan would be able to keep it. That was also a false promise.

"Obamacare is still an unprecedented government intrusion into the lives of every American. Deciding what kind of health care is best for us is between us and our doctors -- not Washington bureaucrats.

"In spite of today's highly disappointing ruling, we'll continue our work to enact reforms -- such as my Medicaid reform bill, the State Health Flexibility Act -- that will allow our health care system to deliver better, more consumer-driven, and more innovative care. And we'll continue fighting to fully repeal Obamacare," said Rokita.

In January 2011, Rokita voted for a full repeal of Obamacare, which passed the House of Representatives 245-189.

Earlier this year, Rokita introduced the State Health Flexibility Act, which would combine federal funding to the states for the Medicaid and CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program) programs into a single block grant that allows states to design their programs according to the needs and priorities of their own citizens. This approach would unleash innovation at the state level and save up to $2 trillion over 10 years -- without cutting a penny from current funding levels. Elements of the bill were included in the House-passed FY2013 budget.

As a member of the House Medical Technology Caucus, Rokita was a leading voice in the successful effort earlier this month to repeal the medical device tax. Earlier this year, Rokita, along with 74 co-signers, sent a letter to House Leadership and Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp urging action on the bill. Along with members of the Indiana congressional delegation, Rokita also hosted a medical device field hearing in Indianapolis last October.

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