Prop C passes overwhelmingly Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a federal mandate to purchase health insurance, rebuking President Barack Obama's administration and giving Republicans their first political victory in a national campaign to overturn the controversial health care law passed by Congress in March. "The citizens of the Show-Me State don't want Washington involved in their health care decisions," said Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, one of the sponsors of the legislation that put Proposition C on the August ballot. She credited a grass-roots campaign involving Tea Party and patriot groups with building support for the anti-Washington proposition. With most of the vote counted, Proposition C was winning by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1. The measure, which seeks to exempt Missouri from the insurance mandate in the new health care law, includes a provision that would change how insurance companies that go out of business in Missouri liquidate their assets. "I've never seen anything like it," Cunningham said at a campaign gathering at a private home in Town and Country. "Citizens wanted their voices to be heard." About 30 Proposition C supporters whooped it up loudly at 9 p.m. when the returns flashed on the television showing the measure passing with more than 70 percent of the vote. "It's the vote heard 'round the world," said Dwight Janson, 53, from Glendale, clad in an American flag-patterned shirt. Janson said he went to one of the first Tea Party gatherings last year and hopped on the Proposition C bandwagon because he wanted to make a difference. "I was tired of sitting on the sidelines bouncing my gums," he said. Missouri was the first of four states to seek to opt out of the insurance purchase mandate portion of the health care law that had been pushed by Obama. And while many legal scholars question whether the vote will be binding, the overwhelming approval gives the national GOP momentum as Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma hold similar votes during midterm elections in November. "It's a big number," state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-Lemay, said of the vote. "I expected a victory, but not of this magnitude. This is going to propel the issue and several other issues about the proper role of the federal government." From almost the moment the Democratic-controlled Congress passed the health care law — which aims to increase the number of Americans with health insurance — Republicans have vowed to try to repeal it. Their primary argument is that they believe the federal government should not be involved in mandating health care decisions at the local level. While repeal might seem an unlikely strategy, the effort to send a message state by state that voters don't approve of being told they have to buy insurance could gain momentum. That's what Republicans are counting on at least, hoping that the Missouri vote will give the national movement momentum. "It's like a domino, and Missouri is the first one to fall," Cunningham said. "Missouri's vote will greatly influence the debate in the other states." Proposition C faced little organized opposition, although the Missouri Hospital Association mounted a mailer campaign opposing the ballot issue in the last couple of weeks. The hospital association, which spent more than $300,000 in the losing effort, said that without the new federal law, those who don't have insurance will cause health care providers and other taxpayers to have higher costs. "The only way to get to the cost problem in health care is to expand the insurance pool," said hospital association spokesman Dave Dillon. He said the hospital association didn't plan to sue over the law, but he expected it would be challenged. "I think there is going to be no shortage of people who want to use the courts to resolve this issue," he said. Democrats also generally opposed Proposition C, though they didn't spend much time or money talking about it. In the closing days of the campaign, many politicians 'sidled up" to Proposition C, Cunningham said, seeing the momentum the issue had gained. Among them was U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. Late last week, Blunt announced his support of Proposition C. On Monday, Blunt said he hoped Missouri voters would send a "ballot box message" to the Obama's administration by overwhelmingly passing the measure. The question now is whether the administration will respond by suing the state to block passage of the law, much as it did in Arizona recently over illegal immigration. The issue in both is the same: When state laws conflict with federal laws, the courts have generally ruled in favor of the federal government, because of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Richard Reuben, a law professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, said that if the federal government sues on the issue, it would likely win. Several other Missouri legal and political scholars agreed. But Cunningham is undaunted. She's got her own experts, and they're ready to do battle in court. "Constitutional experts disagree," she said. "There is substantial legal status to this thing."
I'll wear my american clad outfit and show those Washington socialist marxist communist anti-white anti-american nazi anti-gun anti-radio anti-derp folks who the boss is!!! Healthcare is socialism!! We can't come up with anything better... but those insurance companies and hospitals haven't been fleecing people for decades.... oh wait. The people have been speaking up... they've been speaking up since a guy with the letter D behind his name came into office.
when they stop using Medicare benefits and cashing their social security checks, their arguments against socialism will carry more weight with me.
So you health care reformists still think that this particular solution is a good idea? It's a freaking mess And for the record, I agree that something needed to be done to fix our broken system...but this bill wasn't it, IMHO
Do you believe that insurance companies should be able to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions?
republicans are not willing to work on a solid solution. i mean really...if this bill "wasn't it," what are some alternatives? it's a start...
I guess you didn't read my last sentence, which is why I almost didn't post. NO, they don't. They are evil companies. I agree with most everyone that something needed to be done. Our system is broken. People need insurance that they can afford. We have way too many uninsured people and those with coverage are at the mercy of the carriers. I get that. It is possible to feel that way and still realize that this particular bill is a P.O.S. I like that washington is trying to do something about it, but as usual they screw it up, IMHO
I think if the people of Missouri or any state through a democractic process decide they want to opt out of the Federal Health Care Reform they should be able to. That said they should then also be excluded from Federal medical funding in the bill.
Don't forget that opposition groups didn't even spend any money to oppose it because they knew it had no actual legal standing.
Oh please, why don't you explain to me your syllogism as to how you came to this particular conclusion. Because here is what it looks like from here: 1. Congress considers health care bill modeled on previous GOP plans, facing strong partisan opposition - from GOP. 2. GOP maintains unsuccessful 18-month campaign of disinformation & lies 3. As a result of 2, Public knowledge of actual provisions of HCR bill is very low, disapproval is high, but approval rate of actual provisions is much higher. 4. Health care reform bill passes - bill will be implemented over several years. 5. Wingnuts in missouri win irrelevant referendum with no legal effect in protest vote in irregular election facing little to no opposition, prior to HCR bill going into effect. 6. ????? 7. Profits. And HCR will not accomplish its policy goals. Because of the above. For some reason.
Biggest problem? Mandating coverage gives the insurance companies millions of more customers, and will be receiving government subsidies. How is this going to control the cost? No government option is a failure. And its a pain in the ass for accountants, IRS, and everyone involved in tax/payroll.
Completely agree - and this falls squarely to blame on Obama. He dealt the public option away in secret meetings with insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Transparency my ass.