RESOLUTION TO PASS THE FREEDOM OF HEALTH CARE PROTECTION ACT,
KNOWN AS H3101
The rationale for opposition, if radical Republicans have any rationale other than the hatred for the President, is that Obamacare somehow infringes on individual freedom. The worst example of this is the opposition by Hobby Lobby. This is a corporation that claims as part of its corporate rights the right to practice religion! Put another way, Hobby Lobby asserts that it has a religion, much as any individual would have a religion, and that religion bans the company from complying with a federal law requiring corporations to provide healthcare to their employees. Taken to its logical conclusion, this leads to a fascinating image of the United States where we determine which companies to shop at based on whether the company is or is not of our religion. I assume that Amazon, a blatantly nonreligious company, will now be forced to identify the religious bias of different products it sells!
Indubitably, it is this sort of bizarre picture that has led the Senate in South Carolina to reject a state law that would have banned Obamacare. The state Chamber of Commerce probably realized that a ban on Obama care would create huge problems not only for the state’s image, but for businesses like Boeing that need to operate on a national basis.
The bill, with the vital Davis amendment, would:
- Stop any state or local government official from cooperating in any way with the federal implementation of ObamaCare.
- Prevent the above agencies from applying for or receiving any of the federal grant money under ObamaCare unless approved by the legislature, going so far as to prohibit each grant program by name.
- Require the ObamaCare Navigators to register with the state and pass a background check (which is not required under the federal law).
- Specifically prohibit the state from either accepting the Medicaid expansion or from establishing a state-run health insurance exchange under ObamaCare.
The bill ultimately failed, in part because of the powerful South Carolina Chamber of Commerce entered the fray – on the side of ObamaCare. As a result enough Republicans joined with the Democratic minority to block the legislation.