Legislative Leaders Ask Bill Nelson to Back Health Care Repeal

As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a measure repealing the federal health care law backed by President Barack Obama, the two leaders who preside over the Legislature sent a letter to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Wednesday asking him to support the repeal effort.

We ask that you please help protect individual rights, not only for your fellow Floridians but for all Americans by voting to repeal the intrusive and unconstitutional health care mandate, wrote Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park. The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act poses serious threats to individuals, businesses, and state sovereignty. It forces citizens to buy government-defined health care coverage, pay a penalty, or enter into a broken Medicaid program, leaving Americans with no good choices. Families and individuals are already struggling, and the act is simply unaffordable. This job-killing law will only send insurance costs soaring and force states to spend money that, unlike federal spending, cannot be borrowed or printed.

As the Senate prepares for its vote this evening, please listen to the will of the people, continued Haridopolos and Cannon. The federal ruling in Virginia and most recently Judge Vinsons ruling in Florida confirm that this act exceeds the powers of Congress. We hope you will join efforts to ensure individual health care freedom and choice without government penalty. The people need your vote.

Haridopolos is not the only potential Republican rival who has written Nelson on the matter. U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who also may run against Nelson in 2012, sent a letter to the senator asking him to back the repeal measure.