McHenry County Blog

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Rep. Walsh to Obama: Too Late

“Obamacare at its core is un-American”

WASHINGTON- Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8) released the following statement after the Obama Administration announced they would compromise on the contraceptive mandate that forces employers- including religious institutions- to pay for contraceptive services.

The compromise will require insurance companies, instead of religiously-affiliated employers, to provide and cover plans with contraceptive services.

“Today’s announcement is just another political move by the President.

Joe Walsh

“At the end of the day, religious institutions still have to provide healthcare plans with free contraceptive services.

“It will still force religious institutions to violate their core beliefs.

“But it is also more than a just religious issue, it is a moral and First Amendment issue.

“None of this is surprising.

“Obamacare is about government power over individual freedom.

“When we give control of our healthcare decisions to the federal government, we give up other freedoms along with it.

“This contraceptive mandate continues our scary look inside the belly of the beast.

“If big government can force Americans to violate their consciences here, what else will it try to do?

“Every single week since Obamacare was passed we’ve learned bad things about the law –

• increased premiums,
• regulations and taxes on small business,
• doctors leaving their profession.

“Once again with this latest HHS rule, we’re reminded that the true intent of Obamacare is to increase the power of government over our lives — even our first amendment freedoms.

“The reaction of the American people this week gives me great hope that we won’t stand for more attacks on our Constitution. Obamacare at its core is un-American.

“This affront to our religious freedom is just the latest piece of evidence.”

= = = = =
Also of possible interest: Catholics Carpet Bombing Obama.

Got a robo-call last night about Wednesday’s night’s Town Hall Meeting at McHenry County College sponsored by Patriots United. The details of the 7:30 to 9 PM meeting are below:

Flyer for the Patriots United Health Care Forum at McHenry County College Wednesday night.

The McHenry County College Conference Center entrance.

A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Althoff, Beaubien, Franks and Tryon to Host Healthcare Forum

Crystal Lake, IL…McHenry County State Senator Pamela Althoff, along with State Representatives Mark Beaubien, Jack Franks and Mike Tryon, will host a Healthcare Forum for local social service agencies.

Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Julie Hamos will give a presentation on how the new healthcare reform law will affect Illinois’ social service agencies.

• What: Healthcare Forum
• When: Friday February 18, 2011, 10:00 a.m. – Noon
• Where: McHenry County College, Conference Center
• 
  Who: Senator Pam Althoff, Representatives Mark Beaubien, Jack Franks and Mike Tryon and Director Julie Hamos

For more information, contact Mike Tryon at (815) 459-6453.

The event is open to the media and public.

I first noticed that Congressman Joe Walsh was getting national coverage on his refusal to accept a typical employee fringe benefit—subsidized health insurance—on page 2 of the Chicago Sun-Times in a Scripps Howard News Service article. I figure it could turn into a campaign issue, if Jack Franks decides to challenge Walsh for Congress in 2012.

Now CNN is giving him coverage on the same issue.

Democrats in Congress, none of whom seem to have followed Walsh and Illinois’ Bobby Schilling’s example of self-deprivation, are trying to demonstrate that Republicans are hypocrites for voting to abolish Obamacare.

Here’s Walsh’s place in the article:

Some 16 House Republicans are in fact opting out of health care benefits, including freshman Representative Joe Walsh, R-Illinois.

He told CNN his reason is “philosophical” — saying that he campaigned against the health care law, and on a promise not to accept health care benefits.

Joe Walsh

“I think that this piece of legislation that we passed is so critical and it will do such harm to our country, that I think we need a few of us to lead by example to point out some of its flaws,” Walsh said…

Unlike most of Walsh’s congressional colleagues who are turning down government benefits, the Illinois freshman did not have alternative health insurance, so he says he bought his own insurance coverage, which has a $5,000 deductible.

Walsh says his wife has a pre-existing condition, so insurance would not cover her. Therefore, he says they will pay for the treatment for her ailment, which he declined to disclose, out of pocket.

He says that cost is “sizeable.”

“If I would of taken the congressional plan, I’d taken the group policy, and my wife would have been covered and life would have been a heck of a lot easier. But this is the pledge that I made, it’s something my wife and I have thought long and hard about, and it’s a principle, and it’s important to both of us,” Walsh said.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:Walsh

Congressman Walsh Disappointed in Senate’s Failure

to Pass Amendment to Repeal ObamaCare

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Joe Walsh made the following statement Wednesday evening after the U.S. Senate failed to pass the Senate’s version of an amendment to repeal the health care reform bill.

Joe Wash

“I am gravely disappointed by the outcome of tonight’s vote in the U.S. Senate,” said Walsh. “The failure to repeal ObamaCare is yet another dangerous step in the wrong direction by Senate Democrats. Once more, we are able to see how out of touch they are with the American public, who’s referendum on ObamaCare was made clear in November’s election results.”

“Nevertheless, Harry Reid continues to drag this country down a path that jeopardizes the future of all Americans. If fully implemented this costly bill is expected to cost $2.6 trillion and increase the deficit by $701 billion over ten years.  Consequences which are simply unacceptable.”

“ObamaCare is nothing more than a government takeover of health care. As promised during my campaign, I will continue to fight to repeal and replace this terrible bill, working hard to scale back costs and government invasiveness at every possible turn. It is my obligation to all of those who worked so hard to get me elected.”

Congressman Walsh voted in favor of repealing voted in favor of repealing President Obama’s health care bill when the U.S. House of Representatives voted on their version of the bill on January 19.

I’m not sure but I think this is the first press release from Congressman Joe Walsh’s Washington office.

Walsh Fulfills Key Campaign Pledge
Votes in favor to repeal the job Killing Obama Health Care Plan

Washington, DC – Earlier today, in a resounding defeat to President Obama, a federal judge in Florida declared his health care law unconstitutional.

Today marked a significant victory for states’ rights, the U.S. Constitution and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who so adamantly opposed this bill as the Democrats rammed it through Congress last year.

Rep. Joe Walsh issued the following statement in response.

Joe Walsh

“Today’s ruling reaffirms what most Americans already knew – ObamaCare was an unconstitutional power grab by the Federal government and an infringement on the freedom of individuals to make their own health care decisions.

“I continue to believe that it is a poor bill based on partisan politics rather than an earnest effort to reform our health care system.

“Once fully implemented, ObamaCare will cost an unsustainable $2.6 trillion dollars. Its burdensome taxes, regulations, and mandates unfairly target small businesses and other job creators.

“I have and will continue to fight for other important and effective solutions, as we move forward in repealing and replacing ObamaCare.”

Being challenged by 27 states, ObamaCare has now been ruled unconstitutional by 2 federal judges.

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog laid down the background for this conclusion of a discussion of what might be characterized as the fringe benefits clash of a Jack Franks’ challenge of Joe Walsh in a congressional race after reapportionment in 2012.

Jack Franks

Jack Franks highlighted for the Daily Herald the fringe benefit aspect of his 2011 agenda:

“take away pensions for new members of the General Assembly starting in 2013, as well as strip the salaries and benefits of members of Chicago-area transit boards.”

I wrote about these goals, pointed out that three of those who serve on transit boards are McHenry County Republicans, at least two of whom did not want Franks to win re-election, and shared what those who watch the legislative process thought about Franks’ legislative pension idea here. (None, I don’t think, pointed out that Franks is so wealthy that he could easily forgo the General Assembly pension that he has accrued since taking office in 1999.)

In that article, I pointed out that Joe Walsh was not participating in the congressional pension or health care plans.

So, if Franks is going to continue on his headline-grabbing course with regard to abolishing legislative pensions, Walsh has him one-upped.

Joe Walsh

Franks will get a pension; Walsh won’t.

And if congressional Democrats are going to lay the groundwork on the health insurance front, Walsh also has the political advantage over Franks.

One should note that congressional Democrats in no way want to give up their Federal health insurance.

They just are trying to convince the public that Republicans are being hypocritical.

Don Manzullo’s press release concerning the health care repeal vote today:

Manzullo Votes to Repeal Costly Health Care Law
Rep. supports replacement bills that make health care more affordable, available

(WASHINGTON) U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) today voted to repeal the President’s $1 trillion health care law and start working on a replacement bill that makes health care more affordable and accessible to the uninsured without putting millions more Americans on the unemployment lines. The House passed the bill 245 to 189.

There has been intense interest in health care reform in McHenry County. Here people stand in line to ask Congressman Don Manzullo questions or to make comments at his 2009 Town Hall Meeting on the subject.

The new health care law, passed by the Democrat-controlled Congress and signed into law by the President last year, will wreak havoc on the American economy if not repealed because over the next few years it will:

• Increase taxes on Americans by $569 billion, including a 2.9 percent tax on live-saving medical devices and a 40 percent excise tax on “excessive” health coverage primarily utilized by union workers.
• Cut Medicare benefits for seniors by $530 billion
• Increase Americans’ health insurance premiums by an average of $2,100 per year.
• Put another 3 to 5 million Americans on the unemployment lines due to the heavy mandates that require employers to provide health care coverage to their employees and families whether they can afford it or not.
• Require the IRS to hire up to 16,500 additional workers to enforce all the new tax penalties on Americans who can’t afford to purchase health insurance.
• Make Americans wait until 2014 to receive the bulk of the benefits. In fact, the ban on pre-existing conditions doesn’t kick in until 2014 for adults.
• Put another 15 million Americans on the cash-strapped Medicaid program and burden states with additional Medicaid share costs. The State of Illinois would have to pay $1.8 billion in additional Medicaid sharing costs to cover the additional enrollments.

Don Manzullo listening to his constituents at McHenry County College in 2009.

“Americans are already seeing the disastrous affects of the new health care law through higher insurance premiums and reductions in coverage, and it’s going to get much worse,” Manzullo said. “Fortunately, the most onerous provisions will not kick in for another few years and we have time to repeal this job-destroying law and replace it with real reforms that make health care more affordable and accessible before further damage is done to our economy.“

Manzullo is urging Senate Majority Leader Reid and President Obama to join the House in supporting repeal of the health care law so all sides can come together to craft replacement bills. Manzullo supports the following changes to America’s health care system:

1. Allowing children to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until Age 26 – This provision was one of the few bipartisan elements of the President’s health care bill and it should stay in the replacement bill. Millions of young adults are kicked off their parents’ insurance plans after high school or college and often go without insurance for years until they get jobs that offer health insurance. Because health care costs for young adults are extremely low, the cost of keeping them on their parents’ insurance plans is minimal.
2. Reforming our out-of-control medical liability system – Medical malpractice insurance continues to surge, skyrocketing health care costs and forcing doctors and other medical professionals to practice “defensive medicine,” which entails ordering costly and often unnecessary tests to cover all the bases from lawsuits. Manzullo supports legislation that would fully compensate victims for medical injuries but place reasonable caps on punitive and non-economic damages that often inflate the awards and contribute to out-of-control liability and health care costs.
3. Expanding tax-free availability to Health Savings Accounts — HSAs allow small business owners to offer more affordable high-deductible health insurance plans to their employees and make tax-deductible contributions to employee savings accounts to allow their employees to build equity and assume personal control of their health care needs. Congress should increase the tax deductibility for these insurance plans.
4. Preserving high-quality health care through America’s community health clinics – Manzullo supports continued funding of our community health clinic system, which provides high-quality health care to America’s low-income families. Manzullo has been a strong supporter of Rockford’s Crusader Clinic, which serves more than 40,000 needy patients in northern Illinois each year.
5. Making permanent the deduction health insurance costs from Social Security and Medicare taxes for self-employed individuals – The self-employed pay both the employer and employee share of the payroll tax. Continuing this tax deduction would reduce health insurance costs by 15 percent for this very difficult sub-group of Americans to insure. This proposal would also keep the self-employed at parity with larger companies, who already pay health insurance expenses for their employees before remitting their payroll taxes.
6. Establishing Universal Access Programs for those with pre-existing conditions – These programs would fully fund and reform state high-risk pools and reinsurance programs to guarantee that all Americans – regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses, have access to affordable care.
7. Allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines – This simple change would increase competition and lower health care costs for all.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Walsh Fulfills Key Campaign Pledge

Votes in Favor to Repeal the Job Killing Obama Health Care Plan

Washington, D.C – Today, by a vote of 245-189, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of repealing President Obama’s job killing health care plan.

“I am proud to say that one of the first votes I made in my congressional career was to repeal President Obama’s job killing, federal takeover of the Health Care system,” said Congressman Joe Walsh.

“During the many town halls I have held over the last year, this was the issue that people felt most passionate about.

“The American people are wise; they do not want to see a federal takeover of the healthcare system, which they know will lead to higher costs and rationing of health services.”

One of the major areas of concern with the health care law is the impact it will have on small businesses.

Joe Walsh at his December McHenry West High School Town Hall Meeting.

“From the estimated $14.3 billion dollars in new taxes, to the excessive 1099 filing requirements, small businesses are being asked to absorb the greatest burden of the Obama Health Care Plan.”

Congressman Walsh feels that by repealing this legislation, “we are freeing up small businesses to focus on growing and creating more jobs, rather than complying with new taxes and paperwork.”

Congressman Walsh added, “It is clear that even President Obama recognizes that many of the new requirements are over burdensome.

“That is why his Administration has approved over 200 waivers to his union and big business supporters who will be exempt from certain parts of the law. Unfortunately, small businesses, which are the engine of this economy, are unable to receive those same waivers.”

Walsh, an advocate of fiscal conservatism and supporter of free enterprise serves on the House Small Business Committee.

16th District Congressman Don Manzullo’s reaction to Federal Court’s ruling against the Democrats’ health care plan:

Manzullo Responds to Federal Judge’s Ruling
that New Health Care Law is Unconstitutional

(WASHINGTON) Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) issued the following statement today responding to U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson’s ruling that a major part of the new health care law is unconstitutional. The ruling found that Congress lacks the authority to impose the individual mandate, which requires all Americans to purchase health insurance.

STATEMENT

Don Manzullo answering questions at his 2009 Town Hall meeting on health care reform held at McHenry County College.

“Today, a federal judge confirmed what we have known for a long time – it is unconstitutional to require Americans to purchase health insurance.

“This ‘individual mandate’ was a centerpiece of the President’s health care bill that was to help offset the massive cost of insuring everyone with pre-existing conditions. In fact, the loss of this individual mandate delivers a fatal blow to the future of the health care bill.

“There’s a better and constitutional way to reform health care. When Republicans take over the House in January, we will vote to repeal this unconstitutional new health care law.

“We hope the President and our Democratic colleagues will join us in repealing the law so we can replace it with real reforms that make health care more accessible and affordable to Americans without increasing taxes, cutting Medicare, raising insurance premiums, and putting more Americans on the unemployment lines.”