State politicians disagree on health care

HEMINGWAY – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act last week by a vote of 220-215. The bill’s narrow passage was greeted by mixed reviews from South Carolina Republicans and Democrats. 

Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn, the Majority Whip in the House, praised lawmakers for taking action on the proposal.

“This is an historic day for the American people,” Clyburn said in a statement released after the vote. “The House has taken the first giant step toward providing quality, affordable health care for nearly every American.”

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd issued her own statement following to vote, criticizing Clyburn and fellow Democrat from the state’s Sixth Congressional District, John Spratt, for supporting what she called the government takeover of healthcare.

“This bill is a tragedy for our nation, because of costs it will pass on to future generations; because of the healthcare decisions it will take from doctors and patients, and put into the hands of bureaucrats; and because of its crippling impact on small businesses,” Floyd said.

The disagreement on the healthcare debate between members of each state party is nothing unusual for the issue. However, Clyburn said hard work from legislators offers “security and stability” for citizens while reducing healthcare costs and allowing Americans choice in healthcare providers.

“We worked hard to craft a bill that offers security and stability to all Americans, reduces costs, improves coverage and preserves our choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans. The Affordable Health Care for America Act accomplishes those goals,” he said. “It took us more than 60 years to come this close to providing access to quality health care for all Americans, but we still have a ways to go. We cannot let this opportunity pass without enacting true reform.“

Floyd said the bill is part of president Barack Obama’s “radical liberal agenda”  and that Americans have already showed signs of rejecting those policies, evident by the recent gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia.

“One of our state universities released a poll of southerners showing that more than half of those surveyed disapprove of Obama’s handling of healthcare,” she said. “But for whatever reason, Washington’s Democratic insiders like Spratt and Clyburn are not getting the message, and are instead carrying the water on the president’s far-left agenda.”

Floyd went on to say that the state Republican Party will be running Mick Mulvaney against Spratt for South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District next November.

“His (Mulvaney’s) candidacy represents a stark contrast to the big government agenda Representative Spratt has embraced,” Floyd said. “And we are looking forward to instead putting a real conservative like Mick who represents South Carolina values in Congress.”