Landslide Vote against Obamacare in Missouri

Published: Wed 04 Aug 2010

Tiffany Strong

Missouri is a swing state that is fiercely contested in virtually every nationwide election. In 2008, a mere 4,000 votes put Democratic candidate Barack Obama ahead of Republican nominee John McCain.

But yesterday's blowout 71 to 29 percent vote on Proposition C leaves no question on where Missourians stand as they gave President Obama's health care reform law an astonishing rejection.

Proposition C tries to protect Missouri residents from the new federal mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties.

It also attempts to overturn the new federal bans on health insurers selling policies directly to individuals.

The mandate to purchase medical insurance and the ban on health insurers selling directly to consumers are two regulations that comprise the very soul of the new health care legislation.

The Obama administration and congressional Democrats told Americans that they must accept these two health insurance regulations because they were integral to reducing health care expenses.

However, it has become clear that those assertions are incorrect. Even according to their own predictions, Democrats now concede that the cost of the legislation to the federal government will be hundreds of billions of dollars higher than the $940 million estimated when the legislation was enacted.

The health care overhaul was intended to make American corporations more competitive and to reduce their expenses, but it does not seem to be ending up that way. In fact, it seems that the antithesis is true.

Business after business has had to report those inflated costs to shareholders. AT&T is looking at a one-time charge of $1 billion, Prudential $100 million, John Deere $150 million, Caterpillar $100 million, and 3M $90 million. These are just a few of the well-known corporations that have experienced higher than expected costs.

But the additional expenses don't stop there. Obama vowed repeatedly: "If you like your plan and you like your doctor, you won't have to do a thing. You keep your plan."

However, after the law was approved, The New York Times noted: "That could come as a surprise to many who remember the repeated assurances from President Obama and other officials that consumers would retain a variety of health-care choices."

The shattered promises of transparency, weeding out deals with special interests, and railroading through a bill that was strongly opposed by most Americans have left voters angry, as the Missouri vote so clearly shows.

Missouri is hardly the only area opposed to the health care law-a nationwide Rasmussen poll indicated that Americans support a repeal by a margin of 58 to 37 percent.

Missouri residents have offered lawmakers a warning about how unpopular and detrimental the health care law really is. If those seeking office don't oppose the health care bill, they may discover that states like Missouri are no longer battleground opportunities.