Messer Supports Petition to Trigger Vote on Full Obamacare Repeal

U.S. Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) today announced his support for a discharge petition that would trigger a vote on a full Obamacare repeal bill.

The discharge petition would force lawmakers to vote on H.R. 1436, which repeals Obamacare, including its burdensome taxes and mandates, by the end of 2018. It includes the same Obamacare repeal language that passed both the House and the Senate in 2015.

“Frankly, Hoosiers are tired of endless debate on Obamacare, and the failure of Congress to act,” Messer said. “We have promised the American people we would repeal this failed law for seven years. It is not OK to shrug and walk away, while everyday Hoosiers continue to struggle with sky-high health costs, and government-mandated taxes and fees. It’s way past time to do what we said we would do, and finally provide relief.”

More than 150,000 Hoosiers making less than $50,000 a year were forced to pay $34 million in Obamacare penalties for not having insurance in 2014. In Indiana, health insurance costs on the individual marketplace have increased by 70 percent since Obamacare’s implementation. Only two health insurers remain on the Indiana marketplace, and some Indiana counties have access to not even one insurer.

To trigger a vote by the full House, the discharge petition must receive 218 signatures.

The House of Representatives passed its plan to repeal and replace Obamacare back in May. The Senate has failed to pass similar legislation.

Messer has been an outspoken critic of failed action on Obamacare. He called the Senate’s recent failure to repeal Obamacare “unacceptable” and a “broken promise to the American people.”