Blunt, Koster speak out in response to Supreme Court’s ruling

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) was quick to speak out after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision surrounding President Barack Obama’s government health care takeover.  The 5-4 decision to uphold ObamaCare will affect Americans in their personal medical care, with the aim of covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

But some are asking how the country can pay for the health plan.

Blunt issued the following response:

“The three questions about the President’s health care plan that have needed to be answered from day one are: Is it constitutional, is it a good idea, and can we afford it? The Court, in a 5-4 decision, answered the first question. The American people now will decide if the President’s health care takeover is the right thing to do and whether we can afford it.
“In 2010, Missourians overwhelmingly rejected the individual mandate and sent a clear signal to Washington that Americans oppose ObamaCare. Elections matter, and this decision underscores the fact that we need new leadership in the White House and the Senate.

“This decision does not change the fact that ObamaCare will lead to higher health care premiums, increased federal spending, and greater uncertainty for small business owners nationwide. That’s why Congress must repeal this deeply flawed law in its entirety and replace it with thoughtful, common-sense reforms that put patients and doctors in control of health care – not Washington bureaucrats.”

Meanwhile, Mo. Attorney General Chris Koster released the following:

“Missouri’s brief before the Supreme Court argued a simple, but important, principle:  the individual mandate was not constitutional under the Commerce Clause, but could conceivably be upheld, if the Court saw fit, under the taxing power,” Koster said. “A majority of justices agreed with Missouri’s analysis that the Commerce Clause could not be used to force citizens to purchase health insurance, but found that the ACA was constitutional under Congress’ taxing power.

“The complexity of the decision raises a host of pressing issues for our state, including the need to establish our own health care exchange, and Missouri’s future options regarding Medicaid expansion,” Koster said.  “We will be carefully reviewing the Court’s decision in the coming days to determine the best way to protect Missourians, including the decision’s impact on Proposition C, passed in 2010 by more than 70 percent of the vote.”