This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Local Pols Weigh in on Obamacare Decision

Pennsylvania is prepared to comply with the controversial law, said state Rep. Warren Kampf

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to uphold almost the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, the reactions of Phoenixville’s elected officials split along party lines.

U.S. Representative Jim Gerlach (R-6) said he was frustrated by the court’s ruling, but emphasized that while the AFA might be constitutional, that doesn’t make it sound legislation.

“Frankly, this is an extremely disappointing ruling. But the Supreme Court clearly did not rule that ObamaCare is a good law, just that it doesn’t violate the Constitution. Now it’s up to Congress to affirmatively go out and fix it,” the Congressman said in a statement published on his website

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“To do that, we’ll start by voting to repeal the law and then replace it with common-sense, market-based, patient-centered reforms that will work better to make health insurance more affordable and accessible, and relieve our job creators and taxpayers of excessive taxes and big-government regulations.”

Gerlach’s challenger, physician Manan Trivedi (D), told the Washington Post that the decision “will significantly impact the health and care of all Americans.”

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“And in the end, if we are going to truly make the Affordable Care Act affordable, we must now begin serious discussions on how to reign in health-care costs,” Trivedi added.

State Rep. Warren Kampf (R-157) said that the court’s ruling did not catch the Commonwealth off-guard. Pennsylvania  is prepared, he said, to comply with its dictates.

"The United States Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (or as it is commonly called “Obamacare”) is a federal matter that will have a dramatic impact on the Commonwealth. The court’s ruling today, however, did not find us unprepared,” he said.

He went on to say that Pennsylvania has been working for months to set up the insurance exchanges the law mandates. 

“Pennsylvania has followed the law and will continue to be in compliance with all the mandates of this sweeping legislation. With the ruling today, we understand fully what remains to be done and now have the guidance necessary to continue our work in implementing the federal law.” 

Kampf’s opponent, Democrat Paul Drucker, declined a request to comment on the decision.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?