Statements on Health Care Repeal Vote

A few comments from candidates and officials:

Congressman Jason Altmire: (PA-04)

“I voted against the 2010 health care reform bill because my constituents were overwhelmingly against it, and I believed that bill was flawed policy.  I never argued, however, that it was unconstitutional, and now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law, including the individual mandate, health care providers, hospitals, and doctors can move forward with implementation knowing that the patients they see will have coverage.  The decision also provides certainty to American families, businesses, and the government as they plan for the long-term.

“I will not support the repeal bill that is being put forth by House leadership and faces certain defeat in the Senate.  Congress needs do what we should have been doing all along – working together in a bipartisan fashion to improve upon the law and bring down health care costs.

“When this vote came before the House the first time, I refused to waste the time and resources of the American taxpayers by engaging in a purely partisan exercise that had no chance of becoming law.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the parts of this legislation that are bad policy – including the 2.3 percent tax imposed on American manufactured medical devices – and enact real reforms that improve the quality and affordability of health care for all Americans."

Aryanna Strader, Democratic candidate for 16th congressional district:

"House Republicans in Congress and Joe Pitts continued to waste our time and our taxes today with this stunt vote on eliminating the healthcare law. But this isn't the first time.

"Mr. Pitts has now voted over 30 times to repeal healthcare without ever providing a single vote to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions; he has never voted to allow young adults to stay on their families insurance policies in order to prevent debt; and Mr. Pitts has not once voted to ensure that women would not be denied healthcare coverage.

"When Republicans in Congress squander opportunities to tackle real issues like tax breaks for small businesses or investing in job creation, they are just punching the American middleclass in the gut yet again."