With his state already facing an enormous $20 billion budget deficit, Schwarzenegger said California can’t bear the weight of the unfunded mandates in Washington Democrats’ government takeover of health care that he estimates will cost the Golden State an additional $3 billion to $4 billion annually.
Though Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) has refused to take a similar stand, our state’s situation is no less dire. Ohio’s auditor has said that our state will face an $8 billion budget deficit in 2012. Making matters worse, the Columbus Dispatch has reported that the Democrats’ proposed expansion of Medicaid could cost Ohio at least $922 million over five years beginning in 2014.
Overall, this new unfunded mandate will cost states an estimated $25 billion in the first 10 years. As a result, governors in more than 17 states have taken a stand against these new mandates which, along with the other mandates and tax increases in the Washington Democrats’ government takeover of health care, will hurt the people of their states.
But instead of listening to these state leaders and going back to the drawing board, Washington Democrats have resorted to playing a shameful game of “lets make a deal” as they dole out payoffs, kickbacks and sweetheart deals from behind closed doors in a desperate attempt to force their big government agenda through Congress.
Understandably, these shady backroom deals have left the American people fed up with Washington Democrats and concerned about the direction of our nation. And so as Washington Democrats continue to ignore the wishes of the people, a strong grassroots opposition movement is spurring a backlash in state capitals across the country.
Here in Ohio, State Rep. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, and other reform-minded legislators have introduced the “Ohio Health Care Freedom Act” (HJR 3) to protect the individual freedoms of every Ohioan to make their own health care decisions by outlawing any mandate that individuals must have insurance. If passed, HJR 3 will go to Ohio voters for approval on a statewide ballot.
Elsewhere, lawmakers in 25 states, including our neighboring states of Indiana, West Virginia and Michigan have or will introduce similar legislation to opt out of a federal health care mandate. In the days and weeks ahead, more states are expected to follow suit and introduce similar bills.
As these efforts indicate, Americans remain fundamentally opposed to the type of widespread government intrusion into their daily lives that this bill represents, with its dozens of fees and new taxes, its more than 100 new federal boards, bureaucracies, commission and programs, and its new costly mandates and regulatory burdens for states. Instead, they favor a smaller government rooted in individual freedoms and opportunities, and a common-sense, affordable approach to health care reform focused on lowering costs. My colleagues and I have offered such a plan. You can read it at HealthCare.GOP.gov.
Over the past year, I’ve been inspired by the overwhelming number of 8th District citizens who have stood up for their principles by engaging themselves in the fight against a government takeover of health care. As the debate enters its final hours, my message is this: we can win.
Together we can scrap this big government monstrosity and start over, this time working together in a bipartisan manner on common-sense solutions to give the American people the health care reform they want at a price our country can afford.
U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., represents Ohio’s 8th District.