Shuler Votes Against Full Repeal of Healthcare Law; Working to Achieve Bipartisan Reform

Press Release

U.S. Representative Heath Shuler today began working to move in a commonsense direction to fix the nation's healthcare law, while also maintaining the portions of the existing law on which Republicans and Democrats can agree.

"The American people expect Congress to find real solutions to the challenges facing us, not continue divisive partisan bickering," Shuler said. "The healthcare legislation that passed last year had serious flaws, and we should be working to solve those problems."

Specifically, Shuler announced that he has cosponsored legislation, H.R. 4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011, to repeal the onerous 1099 reporting requirements placed on small businesses by the healthcare reform law. The bill was introduced by Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA).

"By repealing that provision we will provide immediate relief to our small businesses, while also recognizing the positive accomplishments reforms that were achieved in the reform bill," Shuler continued.

Shuler specifically cited the ability of parents to maintain coverage for their children until the age of 26, the closing of the Medicare prescription drug benefit donut hole to help seniors afford their medicine, and the prevention of denial of coverage to children with pre-existing conditions as positive accomplishments of the bill that members of both parties support.

"These are commonsense improvements that have broad bipartisan support. It would be immoral and unproductive to take those things away."

"Today's attempt to fully repeal that law continues to fail the American people. We need to be working together to address the very real healthcare challenges before us by keeping the portions of the law that work, and fixing the portions that don't."

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