WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) today released the following statement regarding the vote to repeal the 2010 health care reform law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) today released the following statement regarding the vote to repeal the 2010 health care reform law.

“I voted against the 2010 health care reform bill because my constituents were overwhelmingly against it, and I believed that bill was flawed policy.  I never argued, however, that it was unconstitutional, and now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law, including the individual mandate, health care providers, hospitals, and doctors can move forward with implementation knowing that the patients they see will have coverage.  The decision also provides certainty to American families, businesses, and the government as they plan for the long-term.

“I will not support the repeal bill that is being put forth by House leadership and faces certain defeat in the Senate.  Congress needs do what we should have been doing all along – working together in a bipartisan fashion to improve upon the law and bring down health care costs.

 “When this vote came before the House the first time, I refused to waste the time and resources of the American taxpayers by engaging in a purely partisan exercise that had no chance of becoming law.  

“I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the parts of this legislation that are bad policy – including the 2.3 percent tax imposed on American manufactured medical devices – and enact real reforms that improve the quality and affordability of health care for all Americans."