HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
2010 Ron Paul 14:1
Mr. PAUL.
Madam Speaker, today I am introducing
the End the Mandate Act. This legislation
repeals the sections of the recently-passed
health reform bill that force all Americans
to purchase federally-approved health insurance
plans.
2010 Ron Paul 14:2
Forcing every American to obtain health insurance
is a blatant violation of the Constitution.
Defenders of this provision claim the
CongressÃs constitutional authority to regulate
“interstate commerce” gives Congress the
power to mandate every American obtain a
federally-approved health insurance plan.
However, as Judge Andrew Napolitano and
other distinguished legal scholars and commentators
have pointed out, even the broadest
definition of “regulating interstate commerce”
cannot reasonably encompass forcing Americans
to engage in commerce by purchasing
health insurance.
2010 Ron Paul 14:3
Forcing every American to obtain a
congressionally-approved health insurance plan is not
just unconstitutional; it is a violation of the
basic freedom to make our own decisions regarding
how best to meet the health care
needs of ourselves and our families.
2010 Ron Paul 14:4
Madam Speaker, the new law requires
Americans to have what is defined as “minimum
essential coverage.” Some people may
claim that the requirement to have “minimal
essential coverage” does not impose an unreasonable
burden on Americans. There are
two problems with this claim.
2010 Ron Paul 14:5
First, the very imposition of a health insurance
mandate, no matter how “minimal” violates
the principles of individual liberty upon
which this country was founded.
2010 Ron Paul 14:6
Second, the mandate is unlikely to remain
“minimal” for long. The experience of states
that allow their legislatures to mandate what
benefits health insurance plans must cover
has shown that politicizing health insurance inevitably
makes health insurance more expensive.
As the cost of government-mandated
health insurance rises, Congress will likely respond
by increasingly subsidizing health insurance
for an ever increasing number of Americans.
2010 Ron Paul 14:7
When the cost of government-mandated insurance
proves to be an unsustainable burden
on individuals, small employers, and the government,
Congress will likely impose price
controls on medical treatments, and even go
so far as to limit what procedures and treatments
mandatory insurance will reimburse.
2010 Ron Paul 14:8
Madam Speaker, Congress made a grave
error by forcing all Americans to purchase
health insurance. The mandate violates fundamental
principles of individual liberty, and will
lead to further government involvement in
health care. I therefore ask all of my colleagues
to join me in correcting this mistake
by cosponsoring the End the Mandate Act.
