Columbus – Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine issued the following statement in response to today’s submission, to the Ohio Secretary of State, of 546,000 signatures in support of the Health Care Freedom Amendment:

“This afternoon Ohio voters sent an unequivocal message – 546,000 voices strong –that they’ve seen the harmful effects of Obamacare, and government mandated health care, and they reject it,” Chairman DeWine said.

“Instead of dramatically increasing the size of government with higher taxes, massive debt and job-killing mandates, Ohioans demand common sense reforms that lower costs for small businesses and families and increase access to affordable, quality health care.”

 “The Ohio Republican Party was pleased to partner with the Ohio Liberty Council and countless grassroots organizations to ensure that Ohioans have the opportunity to choose their own health care,” Chairman DeWine concluded.

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Background Information:

The Ohio Liberty Council, today, submitted over 546,000 voter signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State to place the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the November 2011 ballot.  “For the past 15 months, volunteers from Ohio Tea Party groups and their allies have been gathering signatures to put a constitutional amendment before …Organizers plan to submit petitions to Secretary of State Jon Husted today with more than 530,000 signatures from registered voters to place the amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot.” (Bill Hershey, “Health Care Backers to Submit More than 500,000 Signatures,” Dayton Daily News, 7/6/11)

Obamacare decreases access to affordable health care. The United States faces a daunting shortage of doctors, a problem that President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul would critically exacerbate as it seeks to provide 32 million additional people with health insurance. (Editorial, “Extreme Demand,” Columbus Dispatch 6/29/11)

• “The Association of American Medical Colleges projects Obamacare will worsen physician shortages by more than 50 percent, starting in 2015. By 2020, the nation will be short 45,000 primary-care physicians and 46,000 surgeons and specialists.” (Editorial, “Extreme Demand,” Columbus Dispatch 6/29/11)

Rush to implementation led to a lack of preparedness. “The real problem is that the issue of doctor supply should have been studied before the health-care overhaul mandated a huge increase in demand, not after.” (Editorial, “Extreme Demand,” Columbus Dispatch 6/29/11) 

Obamacare Places Onerous Burden on Cash-Strapped States & Businesses

Health Care Reform Killing States’ Already Strapped Budgets.  “States already can't win. They've been shifting funding from education, safety and all other programs to pay for their share of Medicaid and Medicare, which is often the largest chunk of a state's budget. Many states have found themselves in the position of cutting benefits for patients and lowering reimbursement rates to providers, which likely will cause more doctors to turn away Medicaid patients, as rates don't come close to covering their costs.”  (Editorial, “Worse and Worse,” Columbus Dispatch, 6/26/11)

Study: 30 Percent of Employers Would Dump Employees into Obamacare Exchanges at Taxpayer Expense. “US health care reform sets in motion the largest change in employer-provided health benefits in the post–World War II era. While the pace and timing are difficult to predict, McKinsey research points to a radical restructuring of employer-sponsored health benefits following the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act.”  (McKinsey Quarterly Report, June 2011)

• Overall, 30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering ESI in the years after 2014.
• Among employers with a high awareness of reform, this proportion increases to more than 50 percent, and upward of 60 percent will pursue some alternative to traditional ESI.
• At least 30 percent of employers would gain economically from dropping coverage even if they completely compensated employees for the change through other benefit offerings or higher salaries.
• Contrary to what many employers assume, more than 85 percent of employees would remain at their jobs even if their employer stopped offering ESI, although about 60 percent would expect increased compensation. (McKinsey Quarterly Report, June 2011)

The $450 Billion Obamacare “Glitch”

$450 Billion “Glitch” Allows Middle Class People to Get Nearly Free Insurance under Medicare. "President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed." ("Glitch in Obamacare Could Give Middle Class Insurance Coverage Intended for Poor," Associated Press, 6/21/11)