Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today applauded the Supreme Court's decision to review and rule on a number of constitutional challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

Specifically, the Supreme Court will focus on whether Congress has the power to force individuals to purchase health insurance, as well as whether Congress overstepped its authority by coercing states to comply with the law by threatening to withhold Medicare funding.

"I applaud that the Supreme Court has chosen to grant a writ of certiorari and hear these cases on the constitutionality of provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," said Hultgren. "From day one we've seen this health care law unravel - from the waivers granted to corporations, businesses, and unions, to the repeal of the onerous '1099 Provision' and the failure of the CLASS Act.

"In regards to the individual mandate, it is the most unprecedented and offensive overreach of federal authority in recent history, literally forcing Americans to purchase a product under the auspices of reducing costs and improving accessibility to health care.

"Simply put, the law failed to do what it claimed to accomplish: reduce the cost of health care. Since its passage, we have seen health care costs skyrocket; moreover, the uncertainty stemming from the law has crippled our small business community."

"Only 18 months after its passage, the new health care law has been brought to the steps of the Supreme Court by America’s small business owners. For the small business community, this comes not a day too soon," said Dan Danner, President & CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business. "The health care law has not lived up to its promises of reducing costs, allowing citizens to keep their coverage or improving a cumbersome system that has long been a burden to small business owners and employees, alike. The small business community can now have hope; their voices are going to be heard in the nation’s highest court."

Additionally, Congressman Hultgren has voiced concerns regarding Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's capacity to render an impartial decision on this and all other cases related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In June, Congressman Hultgren joined other House Republicans in asking the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the extent to which Justice Kagan was involved in preparing a legal defense of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act during her tenure as Solicitor General.

In the letter, it is noted that according to law, a justice should recuse themselves in cases "where he has served in governmental employment and in such capacity participated as counsel, adviser or material witness concerning the proceedings or expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy."

Click here to read the full letter.