Florida, the state that launched the unsuccessful constitutional challenge to President Barack Obamas signature piece of legislation, is set once again to battle over health care.
As the national media reported this week, liberal organizations and groups aligned with the Democrats will be going on the offensive as they fight back against Republican attacks on the law. Politico reported this week that Florida would be one of the chief states liberal groups would be targeting.
On Thursday, the Center for American Progress Action Fund kicked off its campaign unveiling a study which finds many of the regions in the United States ? including Florida? desperately need the protections and coverage provided by Obamacare but are represented by members who are working to dismantle the legislation.
The group bashed two Republican congressmen from South Florida -- Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- for playing political games and have tried to repeal health care a combined 76 times, without a plan to replace it. The Center also looked at three Florida counties -- DeSoto, Hernando and Miami-Dade -- and how the law would impact those areas. The center cited numbers showing 35.8 percent of non-elderly residents of Miami-Dade, 51.1 percent of Hendry County residents under 40, and 53.2 percent of Hispanics in DeSoto County as uninsured and possible beneficiaries of the law.
?Too many politicians are putting more energy into political stunts than helping their constituents take advantage of benefits from the Affordable Care Act, insisted Tom Perriello, the president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, on Thursday. Sadly, our new report demonstrates that many of the counties that stand to benefit the most from the new health care law are represented by Obamacare opponents who refuse to help families and businesses in their communities benefit from these reforms. Elected officials should meet their obligation to help constituents comply with and benefit from the laws and health care programs that exist."?
But while liberals might be going on the offensive on health care, Republicans in Florida show no signs of backing down in their opposition to it. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continues to urge fellow Republicans in Washington to defund the law before it takes effect.
Rubio, who is one of the top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, made his case for defunding the law when he appeared on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News on Wednesday night.
If were not willing to draw that line in the sand on Obamacare, then what issue are we willing to do it on? Rubio demanded. I cant think of a single thing thats affecting our economy negatively more than Obamacare is right now. This is not about shutting down the government as our opponents claim. This is very simple. This is about whether we are going to continue pouring money into a program that is basically eviscerating the American economy. It is forcing people to go from full-time work to part-time work. Its costing people the health insurance that they have and are happy with. Its costing them their existing relationship with the doctor thats been seeing them for years. Its hurting businesses from growing. Its so damaging that even the employees union for the IRS -- the very people in charge of enforcing this law -- are begging to be let out from under this law. This is a critical moment. And for my fellow Republicans, I respect them all, but if were not willing to fight on this issue, what issue are we willing to fight on?
Hannity asked Rubio about the possibility of a government shutdown and Rubio said, if it happened, Obama and the Democrats would be responsible for it.
Well, the one whos threatening to shut down the government is the president and his Democratic allies, Rubio said. What theyre basically saying is, unless the government funds Obamacare, they wont support it. Theyre basically saying that unless we fund Obamacare, they are willing to shut down the government. And I would submit to you that Obamacare is not more important than our country, Obamacare is not more important than our economy, and its their insistence on continuing to pour money into this broken and failed experiment that is threatening a government shutdown, not us.
Think about the people that have health insurance now and theyre happy with it, Rubio added. Theyre going to lose that health insurance. They have a doctor theyve been seeing for the last 15 or 20 years, they wont be able to keep going to that doctor. Think of working-class Americans who right now are working 40 hours a week, that because of Obamacare are going to be cut back to 29 hours a week. Think about the small businesses that want to expand and grow but are afraid to do so because it would trigger the Obamacare mandate. Ive met these people, Ive talked to these people. These are not billionaires, these are not millionaires, these are hard-working-class Americans who are on the verge of being punished because, as you said, this law was built on broken promises and promises it continues to break every single day.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
