The two Republicans running to take on U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., next year have vowed to fight to repeal President Barack Obama’s federal health-care law.
On Tuesday morning, conservative group Independent Women’s Voice announced that Dr. Neal Dunn, a surgeon based in Panama City, signed its Obamacare Repeal Pledge.
“Dr. Neal Dunn’s signature on the pledge is a clear demonstration of his commitment to the full and complete repeal of Obamacare and to end the harm that it is inflicting upon American families,” said Heather Higgins, the president and CEO of Independent Women's Voice.
“Dr. Dunn understands that Obamacare is hiking insurance premiums, diminishing quality of care, and reducing our choice and control in health-care decisions,” Higgins added. “He understands that Obamacare means bigger government and less freedom. For these reasons, and many more, it must be repealed.”
"As a physician, I witness firsthand how Obamacare is destroying our country’s health-care system," Dunn said. "My expertise on this issue and my desire to see it repealed is a large part of what drove me to run for the United States Congress."
Tallahassee attorney Mary Thomas, who is running against Dunn in the primary, signed the pledge earlier in the month.
"Mary Thomas’ decision to take the pledge shows voters that, when it comes to health care, she gets it,” Higgins announced on Monday. “Thomas understands the harm that Obamacare has already caused and will continue to cause if it's not turned back. She recognizes that Obamacare hurts seniors and increases costs for families. Moreover, she knows that Obamacare means bigger government and less freedom, places government bureaucrats between doctors and their patients, and reduces our choice and control in health care decisions."
"Both of my parents are physicians," Thomas said. "They own a family practice in Florida and they have seen firsthand how Obamacare hurts patients with higher costs, longer wait times, and reduced services. Small businesses are saddled with higher taxes and more regulation because of Obamacare. Some states are even allowing themselves to be blackmailed into accepting.”
Thomas noted that she worked for Gov. Rick Scott who rose to political prominence by opposing Obama’s health-care law and stood against Medicaid expansion mandated by the law.
"I am proud that Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who I served as an assistant general counsel and an agency general counsel for, stood up to President Obama and said 'no' to Obamacare," Thomas said. "For all of these reasons, I signed the Obamacare Repeal Pledge. Nothing less than full repeal of this awful and unconstitutional law will suffice."
Graham has been supportive of the law but has called for reforming it. Earlier this summer, Graham co-sponsored an effort to repeal $20 billion in taxes on medical devices that was included in Obama’s law.
“I’m for keeping the good and fixing the bad parts of Obamacare,” Graham said when the repeal passed the House in June. “We all agree we need to keep insurance companies from discriminating against people, and we need to continue to work on lowering costs, but taxing lifesaving medical devices is more harmful than helpful for patients in North Florida. This legislation will fix that problem without repealing the good parts of health-care reform.”
Last month, Graham teamed up with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Florida chapter to call for cutting the health insurance tax (HIT) which was included in Obama’s law. Graham is backing a measure to repeal HIT which could cost almost $160 billion over the next 10 years with most of those costs on small businesses.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
