FreedomWorks Celebrates Governor Corbett’s bold decision to reject Health Care Exchanges in Pennsylvania

Washington, DC –Today FreedomWorks, a grassroots frontrunner in the fight to block health care exchanges around the country, applauded Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett for his hard-hitting decision to decline a state-run health care exchange in Pennsylvania.

“FreedomWorks congratulates Governor Tom Corbett on his historic step towards restoring constitutionally-limited government and reaffirming the boundaries of federal power,” commented Matt Kibbe, President of FreedomWorks. “FreedomWorks has been mobilizing and empowering activists across the country and the state of Pennsylvania to reject health care exchanges, which will drastically jeopardize state budgets within two short years. Without a strong grassroots community holding the states accountable to its decisions, it’s doubtful the health care exchanges would have been challenged in the first place.”

Since August 2009, FreedomWorks and its community of over 2 million fiscally conservative activists have fought passage of ObamaCare in town hall meetings across the country, launched a petition campaign to “Repeal ObamaCare Now” which garnered over 350,000 signatures and led grassroots efforts to enact Health Care Freedom Acts and stop PPACA “exchanges” in the states. FreedomWorks also orchestrated the Tea Party Budget, a crowd-sourced economic recovery plan that scored repealing “ObamaCare” as the number one legislative priority.

Currently the federal government is offering grants to states to create an exchange between now and the end of 2014. All exchanges must be self-funding starting in 2015. Each governor must notify the federal government by Friday, December 14, 2012, of his or her decision whether to create a state-based health insurance exchange or defer to the federal government.

“The significance of today’s decision by Governor Corbett is worthy of celebration, but our work is far from over,” commented Dean Clancy, vice president of health care policy for FreedomWorks. “With Pennsylvania becoming the 26th state to uphold the health care exchanges, now is the ideal time for conservatives to launch a renewed effort to stop the government takeover. First, because of the states’ actions, Congress should delay ObamaCare’s implementation date by at least one full year. Second, it should move aggressively to replace the exchanges with compassionate, patient-centered reforms. Only patient-centered care offers the hope of lower costs without rationing.”

For more information about FreedomWorks and its positions on health care policy, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org, BlockExchanges.com, or contact Press Assistant Trey Grover at Tgrover@FreedomWorks.org.

###