WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s promise he would allow states to create their own health care plans:

“Today, the President demonstrated that he still doesn’t understand that his health care law is crippling states’ budgets and worsening health care in our country.  States do not want and cannot afford to live with health plans that match Obamacare’s burdensome requirements.   America’s governors need freedom to innovate, not imitate. 

“Senator Graham and I have introduced the State Health Care Choice Act to give states the true freedom to decide what works best for their citizens.  We will fight to repeal the President’s health spending law and provide states with flexibility, freedom and choice.” 

Background:

Today, President Obama said:

“If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does — without increasing the deficit — you can implement that plan.”

On February 1, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) introduced S.244, The State Health Care Choice Act, to repeal and replace Obamacare by allowing states to ‘Opt-Out’ of its major provisions. 

Under the legislation, states could choose to ‘Opt-Out’ of:

• Individual mandate – the requirement to buy government-approved health insurance coupled with a financial penalty for not doing so.

• Employer mandate – the requirement for businesses to provide government-approved health insurance coupled with financial penalties for not doing so.

• Medicaid mandate – the forced expansion of state Medicaid programs.

• Benefit mandates – defines what qualifies as a health plan as well as new federal requirements for regulating health insurance.

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