Smith Statement on Latest Obama Health Care Proposal

HIXSON, FEBRUARY 22 – Third District Congressional Candidate Robin Smith issued the following statement upon release of the latest Obama health care reform proposal:  

“President Obama has slapped another coat of paint on the same trillion-dollar lemon the American people have already rejected in the hope he can sell it to an unwilling public. No matter how many times he and his liberal friends in Congress re-launch, reframe or repackage this proposal, we fully understand his goal: government run health care.

Americans have become increasingly cynical and angry as they have watched Democrats use gimmicks rather than honesty in this process, including slipping through a vote on Christmas Eve. Now they see liberals arrogantly attempt to use parliamentary tricks to ram through this wrong-headed approach in defiance of the wishes of the people they are supposed to represent.

If the president, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are serious about true reform that benefits the people, they must first face reality. Through speeches, press conferences and countless interviews, this Democrat majority has had the opportunity to present their argument and the people have clearly rejected their expensive plans.  Governors have rejected shifting 15 million people onto state Medicaid rolls when our states are struggling to stay above water and we've seen nothing to achieve the necessary reforms of reducing costs and keeping patients and doctors in charge of health care choices.

We can all come together to address issues that will make insurance less expensive. We can move to make it easier for small business to pool their buying power. We can allow for the purchase of insurance across state lines. We can increase access to Health Savings Accounts and we can, once and for all, address the devastating effect of uncontrolled lawyers and their irresponsible lawsuits. Finally, we must agree that federally funded abortions do not meet the criteria of ‘health care.’

As the President speaks of bipartisan cooperation, he continues down a path of arrogance and exclusion. I hope he will follow through on his own rhetoric and give conservative solutions a place at the table beyond made for television ‘summits.’ We all agree reform is needed. Destruction of our free market health care system is not.