AFP-Montana held a great rally on Main Street, Bozeman that drew over 100 activists protesting the new health care law. The rally was held on the second day of the US Supreme Court’s oral hearings on the constitutionality of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which we know as ObamaCare.As AFP-Montana’s Grassroots Coordinator I was honored to organize the event, located at the site of many previous Tea Party rallies.
During my speech, I said:“Simply put, we oppose this new health care law because it is unconstitutional, unaffordable and impractical. The individual mandate requiring citizens to purchase health insurance is a gross unconstitutional over-extension of Congress’ authority to ‘regulate commerce.’ If the federal government can dictate that we buy health insurance, they can dictate us buying Chevy Volts because they’ll eliminate exhaust emissions or force our kids to eat broccoli at school because it’s good for them.”
The health care law is unaffordable. Already estimates for the implementation of the new law have doubled to at least $1.3 trillion and we’ve just begun implementation. The new law is also very impractical. The 15-person politically appointed Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) would determine reimbursement rates to doctors and when lowered, critics contend would cause a reduction in the quality of care and the type of care provided. It may even force doctors out of their practice altogether because they will tire from government meddling in medicine.
I also warned that the development of a Montana Health Care Exchange will create further burdensome regulations. Instead of helping consumers make informed decisions about purchasing health care insurance which is the original intention of health care exchanges, this program under the new health care law will heap layers of burdensome rules, restrictions, and mandates on Montana and insurers.
Carl Graham, CEO of Montana Policy Institute talked about the creation of the Montana Health Cooperative with federal loans. Done secretly with 17 long-term Democrat operatives on its board, the Montana Health Care Coop would compete with private insurers and perhaps one day drive private insurers out of business.
As our friend Sen. Joe Balyeat said, “ObamaCare is the seminal freedom issue of our generation. It is the seminal economic issue of our time.” He went on to explain that health care represents one-sixth of our economy and that the free market is much efficient in delivering this service. Comparing federal control of health care to the old Soviet model of central planning, Balyeat reminded us that the Soviet Union ultimately collapsed because it couldn’t feed even its people.
Edward Johnson, a member of MSU Young Americans for Liberty expressed his discouragement over the $16 trillion in debt, a debt that he and his children will be saddled with and decried increasing spending to an outrageous level while simultaneously stealing our liberty.
JD Clark, a local podiatrist was one of several physicians who spoke at the rally. Dr. Clark implored us to preserve the doctor-patient relationship because it is one of the most personal and important relationships we have. He warned that if this mandate is implemented, a lot of doctors will retire early because they are not going to put up with the government dictating to them how to run their practice. Concluding his speech, Dr. Clark said, “Keep your hands off me, keep your hands off my health care, and keep your hands off my practice.”
I also reminded participants that the implementation of ObamaCare in Montana is ill-time and ill-advised. In June, the US Supreme Court will rule on its constitutionality. In November, you will have the opportunity to vote yes on Legislative Referendum 122 prohibiting the state or federal government to impose the individual mandate to buy insurance and penalties to those who refuse to buy. It makes no sense to spend taxpayer funds on the Montana Health Care Exchange or the Montana Health Care Cooperative. On April 20, I will go before the Economic Affairs Interim Committee and urge them to halt implementation of ObamaCare in Montana.
If you would like to see media coverage of our event, check out the Billings Gazette article, and ABC News Montana report. Also, visit our Youtube page to see video highlights of the Hands Off My Health Care rally.
Boy, Henry, that was literally a Senior Thesis for the Limbaugh School of Empty Rhetoric! Tell me, what does the price of steel have to do with hthaelcare reform except to perhaps point out that we have increasingly larger numbers of unemployed and uninsured people Even closer to the point, what does individual responsibility mean? WHO is responsable for WHAT is the real question. The individuals have the responsability to take care of themselves, and not exploit freebies, but what does that have to do with reform. The Hospitals have the responsability to provide adequate medical care at a reasonable AFFORDABLE price. The insurance companies have the responsability to pay for the bills as they accrue. The government has the responsability to assure the citizens of the country are taken care of without being exploited. How about we talk about where the responsabilites are being neglected. The insurance companies are into it for the bottom line, and only pay what they MUST to make the maximum profit they can. They will turn down claims on any technicality they can. They even write into their policies an abdication of care for smokers and people who don’t exercise. Legislation is often submitted to control the fats people consume which will lead to denials of claims based upon their dietary habits. The health care industry, because their bread is buttered by the insurance industry, provides the care they know will be paid for, which isn’t until the patients health reaches the point where their problems become catastrophic. The Health care industry employs a proponderance of specialists who treat the problems after they have become unmanagable, and purchase extremely expensive equipment to treat these already catastrophic maladies. They are, by law, required to absorb the costs of those who are unable to pay, and thus pass this cost up to the insurance companies by jacking up the prices. When these prices are charged to the uninsured private patient, it bankrupts not only them but all of their family. Lets talk about the governments responsability here this is something the Conservatives always fall off of.. frankly they have never been good at anything resembling responsability in any arena.. but I digress. It should be the governments responsability to ensure that preventative care is given to everybody. They do this in small ways by assuring vaccinations are given to all kids and comperable services, but they fall short on whats important such as funding programs such as physical education in schools and healthful food programs. Most important, the government needs to oversee the other facets of the equation so they are not exploiting the people and giving substandard care . but instead, ObamaCare only forces business’s to pay for more people to be covered by this for profit insurance parasite. There is NOTHING in Obama Care that assures better care, or cheaper prices. There is no responsability in ANY of this, but tell me, what do you mean by INDIVIDUAL responsability?