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Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015

Floor Speech

By: Phil Roe
By: Phil Roe
Date: Oct. 23, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health Insurance Health and Health Care

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Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. I thank Chairmen Kline, Ryan, Upton, and Price and their staffs for the work and leadership on this important bill.

As a physician who spent more than 30 years caring for patients, I am keenly aware of the negative impact that the President's healthcare law has had on the American healthcare system. The mandates, tax increases, wasteful spending, failed Web sites, co-ops, including ObamaCare, put a strain on hardworking families, and it has succeeded only in making our already-struggling economy worse.

This bill repeals the individual mandate, the employer mandate, stops the damaging and progressive Cadillac and medical device taxes, which have strong bipartisan support, and is estimated to save about $79 billion. Further, it will protect workers from having to purchase insurance plans they may not want or need by excusing them from the auto enrollment provision.

This bill does not accomplish everything we need to to right the wrongs of ObamaCare, but it is a strong step in the right direction. By using the reconciliation process to repeal the most damaging parts of ObamaCare, we are keeping our promise to the American people to protect them from this fatally flawed law.

Let me take you down to the ground level, where I live. I was mayor in Johnson City, Tennessee. I just met with the folks there. They have $185,000 they have to pay into a reinsurance fund. They have 1,000 employees and a large HR department.

They have had to hire a consultant to figure out whether they are complying with all of the regulations, and the city manager said: Under no circumstances will we hire anybody to work more than 25 hours a week because we cannot afford to do that in our local situation.

Mr. Speaker, I came to Congress to help reform our Nation's healthcare system, and there is no question it was broken before ObamaCare. Unfortunately, this law has only made things harder and more expensive for too many Americans.

I hear over and over again Republicans don't have any alternatives. Well, here is one right here, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, a 193-page bill which lowers cost, increases access, and gives more freedom to patients. Also, H.R. 2300, Dr. Price's bill, does the same thing.

I strongly encourage support for this bill.

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