Resisting ObamaCare (and the Chamber of Commerce) in South Carolina

The South Carolina Senate is taking up an extraordinary bill this week, H 3101, that (with an amendment) would be a model for state resistance to ObamaCare. The underlying bill was in need of strengthening, so Senator Tom Davis has offered an amendment that would make the bill airtight. The bill would, for all intents and purposes, nullify ObamaCare in South Carolina, using a Supreme Court-approved procedure called "anti-commandeering".

The bill, with the vital Davis amendment, would:

  • Stop any state or local government official from cooperating in any way with the federal implementation of ObamaCare.

  • Prevent the above agencies from applying for or receiving any of the federal grant money under ObamaCare unless approved by the legislature, going so far as to prohibit each grant program by name.

  • Require the ObamaCare Navigators to register with the state and pass a background check (which is not required under the federal law).

  • Specifically prohibit the state from either accepting the Medicaid expansion or from establishing a state-run health insurance exchange under ObamaCare.

The Davis amendment has achieved strong support within the South Carolina Senate, and ought to be on its way for an easy passage. Unfortunately, a few Republican senators could be the only thing between South Carolinians and a historic declaration of health care freedom. No doubt one factor that has confused the issue for some of these senators is that the powerful South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has entered the frayon the side of ObamaCare.

What is most disconcerting about the Chamber’s involvement is that its self-declared mission is "to prevent anti-business legislation and regulation". Yet, this supposedly pro-business organization is working to save ObamaCare, a law which is putting business owners in a vice, forcing them to cut hours and workers and drastically raising their insurance premiums.

South Carolina citizens must stand up against corporate lobbyists and reluctant Republicans and demand that H 3101 be passed with the Davis amendment attached. SC residents can Take Action by clicking below:

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