Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act today. The legislation repeals the most onerous Obamacare provisions through a mechanism known as reconciliation, which is a budgeting process that allows Congress to align the priorities outlined in the current year’s budget resolution with existing law.

“Even though Obamacare was signed into law five years ago, I still hear from Idahoans every single day about the law’s negative impacts,” said Simpson.  “A major issue with Obamacare since day one has been limiting the freedom of choice for beneficiaries. H.R. 3762 directly addresses this by repealing the major barriers that are impeding Americans’ ability to make choices about their healthcare plans.”

Specifically, H.R. 3762 would address key problems with Obamacare including:

• Repeal the individual mandate – Currently, Americans who do not purchase a health insurance plan through an exchange, receive insurance through Medicaid, or receive employer sponsored coverage, are subject to a penalty;
• Repeal the employer mandate – Employers with 100 or more employees who do not offer health insurance are subject to penalties that range from $2,000-$3,000;
• Repeal the Medical Device Tax – the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices is currently being passed on to consumers;
• Repeal the “Cadillac Tax” – 40% excise tax of the value of employer sponsored health coverage that exceeds certain benefit thresholds;
• Repeal Prevention and Public Health Fund – Referred to as the Obamacare slush fund that gives Secretary of Health and Human Services billions of dollars annually to spend with limited accountability;
• Repeal Auto-Enrollment Mandate – Requires large employers to auto-enroll employees in their medical plans.

“The reconciliation package passed by the House eliminates burdensome government mandates and repeals Obamacare taxes that are responsible for driving up the cost of healthcare for families, patients, and doctors. As the broken promises of Obamacare continue to pile on the backs of Americans I will continue to support legislation that protects individuals and families from the most harmful impacts of the law.”

In addition to repealing sections of Obamacare, H.R. 3762 would place a one year freeze on certain abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood while redirecting those funds to community health centers. The bill also addresses our national debt by reducing budget deficits by $136.8 billion over 10 years.

H.R. 3762 was passed by a vote of 240 to 189 and will now head to the Senate for consideration.