Bob Goodlatte: Putting patients first

Should patients or big government mandates come first? That’s the question Congress recently asked President Obama by sending a repeal of his signature health care law to his desk.

Just a few days ago, in the first major vote of 2016, the House of Representatives passed theRestoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, which would dismantle Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood. As I review the letters and calls coming into my office and talk with folks in communities throughout the Sixth District, the stories I hear of those who have been hurt by this law far outnumber those who have benefited. My constituents want me to put them first, and I am proud that this was the first major piece of legislation considered this year.

Sending this bill to the President’s desk is not simply about repealing Obamacare. It is about crafting a health care system that works for patients, not against them. It’s about holding President Obama accountable for his promises of affordable care for hardworking families and that if you like your health care, you can keep it. It’s about the individuals and families in the Sixth District who have lost the coverage they’ve had for years, and for those who have seen their new insurance premiums skyrocket beyond their ability to pay. These are the reasons I continue to push for true, patient-centered health care solutions.

Unfortunately, before the ink was even dry on the bill, President Obama chose to put big government mandates before patients by vetoing the bill. He chose to allow Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars to continue to fund abortions. His decision is disappointing, but not unexpected, and only emphasizes why our work to hit the reset button on health care reform must continue. We will next have a veto override vote in the House.

It’s time for a real, bipartisan conversation in Congress that focuses on strategies that help Americans access the best quality health care at the least cost, and ensure that the government fosters increased access to quality care based on individual choice, not by taking away choices from people on the grounds that government knows best. I’ve already cosponsored two bills that would provide a path forward for reform, and the House is hard at work on additional alternatives. The American people are ready for a solution that puts them first.

Bob Goodlatte represents Virginia’s Sixth District in Congress.