 While the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the
Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), the court also ruled that
Congress cannot penalize states that choose not to participate in
the new Medicaid expansion by taking away their existing Medicaid
funding.State Reps. Adam Brown, R-Decatur, and Bill Mitchell,
R-Forsyth, believe the Illinois General Assembly should pass
legislation to opt out of the Medicaid expansion, which would add an
estimated 700,000 individuals to the state's Medicaid rolls.
"Obamacare is a tax on the middle class to pay for more welfare,"
Mitchell said. "It will greatly expand our welfare rolls and add
billions of dollars in costs to Illinois taxpayers. The comptroller
says the Obamacare expansion will cost the state up to $2.4 billion
over the next six years."
"The governor and Democrat-controlled General Assembly just cut
$1.6 billion from Medicaid, eliminating prescription drug coverage
for 180,000 Illinois seniors," Mitchell added. "So now we're going
to add another 700,000 people to Medicaid, massively expanding a
bankrupt program? We should put a stop to the Obamacare expansion.
We simply cannot afford it."
[to top of second column] |
Brown wants the General Assembly to reconvene this summer to pass
opt-out legislation.
"The General Assembly not only slashed Medicaid -- they raised
the cigarette tax to help pay for it," Brown said. "Meanwhile, the
Chicago Democrats refused to kick illegal immigrants off our welfare
rolls. Throw another 700,000 individuals into the mix and you've got
a recipe for disaster. Illinois is broke. Obamacare will only make
things worse for our state. We've got to put the brakes on this
expansion."
[Text from file sent on behalf of
Rep. Bill
Mitchell and
Rep.
Adam Brown by Illinois
House Republican staff] |
