Meghan Hughes (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement on the one-year anniversary of Obamacare.   

Graham voted against Obamacare in the U.S. Senate last year. Since then, he has introduced legislation with Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) to allow states to opt-out of the major provisions such as the individual mandate, employer mandate, Medicaid expansion, and other mandates contained in the bill.  He also co-sponsored and voted in support of legislation to completely repeal Obamacare. 

Graham said:                            

“President Obama and the Democrats in Congress have tried every conceivable idea to sell people on their health care reform.  Too bad for them, but the American people aren’t buying it.   

“One year later the many structural flaws of Obamacare are better defined and many of the dubious claims made to support its passage have been proven wrong.  The Obama Administration, recognizing the many shortcomings of the bill, has issued over 1,000 waivers to the favored few.  These waivers allow the favored few to get out of the most onerous provisions of Obamacare while rest of America is forced to suffer. 

“I will continue to push for Repeal and Replace of Obamacare by passing the Barrasso-Graham legislation allowing states to opt-out.  The Medicaid rolls in South Carolina - one of the largest expenditures in our state budget - will increase by over 60 percent under Obamcare.  This forced expansion, one of the many unfunded mandates in Obamacare, will bankrupt our state.  

“Obamcare raises costs, lowers the quality of care, shifts a new unfunded mandate onto the states and will ultimately result in health care rationing.  One year later, Obamacare remains bad medicine and Americans don’t have to take it.”   

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