WV politicians come out on health care ruling - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Continue to check back as we update this story with statements from state politicians.

Shortly after the US Supreme Court upheld the majority of the Affordable Healthcare Act, politicians began issuing their own opinions.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, was generally supportive of the Court's decision.

"As a nation, we should use today's decision to push reset on the national dialogue about health care reform and refocus on why we wrote this law in the first place – to provide affordable coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans, to link provider payments to the quality of care provided instead of the volume of services, to make Medicare better for our seniors, and to enact health insurance reforms that put patients over insurance company profits," Rockefeller said. 

Rockefeller said he was concerned about impact the ruling would have on Medicaid expansion, and he said the decision could undermine health care iptions for those who aren't eligible for Medicaid but can't afford health insurance. 

"The idea that the vast majority of Americans are satisfied with health care the way it is today simply doesn't match what I have heard from West Virginias about health care over many, many years," Rockefeller said. "West Virginians are tired of insurance companies drastically raising their premiums every single year – including a 55 percent jump in West Virginia in just seven years -- without providing better care and in some cases kicking people off when they get sick and actually need medical services."

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the bill still needs some work to adapt to the health care challenges of both West Virginians and Americans. 

"Now that the Court has ruled, we can move forward with fixing what is wrong with this bill and saving what is right," Manchin said. "I have always been determined to reduce the burden on states from the Medicaid expansion, and this ruling affirms my position – and makes clear that states must have the flexibility to live within their means by determining Medicaid eligibility as each state sees fit."

Republican Senate candidate John Raese said the decision from the Supreme Court raises the stakes of the upcoming election. The rule being upheld in court means only a repeal from members of Congress could now strike down the Democrat-led legislation.  

"Obamacare is nearly a $3 trillion boondoggle that infringes on every American's right to liberty, forces millions of Americans off their private insurance and into government programs, and steals $500 billion from Medicare," Raese said. "Obamacare will worsen our economy, expand the size of our government further, and will be nothing but a failure."

Raese accused Manchin of being an outspoken supporter of the health care act, while he says he will move to repeal the bill.

"West Virginians cannot afford this massive, budget-busting bill, and it is time we had someone in Washington who represented the will of the people instead of his own political interests," Raese said. "Without a change in leadership, we may never see the reforms we need.  It is time for a new President and a new senator from West Virginia."

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito said she respects the Supreme Court's decision, but still believes the law is bad for West Virginia and the American economy. 

"Going forward, I will continue to support replacing the law with commonsense, step-by-step reforms that lower the cost of care without burdening small businesses with higher taxes, crippling already weak state budgets, pushing families off of their current coverage and increasing healthcare costs," Caouti said. "Instead of a government takeover of healthcare, I support addressing the rising cost of care with patient-centered reforms that protect the doctor-patient relationship."

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said the reform was essential to preventing health care costs from shyrocketing. 

 "Today, the Supreme Court affirmed that, in America, patients have rights," Rahall said. "As long as this law remains in place, no American will lose their health coverage when they need it most, or fall into bankruptcy because of a lifetime limit on their coverage, or be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney said he was also disappointed by the decision.

"It costs too much, taxes too much, expands government too much, kills jobs, and puts the federal government between you and your doctor," Maloney said.

Maloney said Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's administration has been supportive of the bill, which Maloney believes is bad for West Virginia.  

"In fact, Earl Ray put ObamaCare on the fast-track and spent millions of West Virginia taxpayer funds to be the second state in the nation to implement it," Maloney said.

Tomblin responded to the ruling shortly after Maloney, but was vague on the ruling. He said he is reviewing the decision.

"We know what the law is but as I've said before, I will continue to do what is best for West Virginia," Tomblin said. "We all know health care costs continue to rise and our health care system must be more efficient. We're going to review the Supreme Court's ruling, and work with our federal delegation on how we move forward."

The West Virginia GOP said West Virginia will suffer because of the health care reform, and  Conrad Lucas, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party said Tomblin could have halted state implementation of the reform. 

"Elections have consequences, and as long as we allow Democrats to control the government in our state, we will continue to be subjected to damaging, liberal policies like ObamaCare and the War on Coal,: Lucas said. "As the Supreme Court did today, now we must make a decision. Do we elect those who would grow the economy and create jobs, or follow the Democrats who forced on all of us the largest tax increase in American history."

Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., was also upset about the Supreme Court ruling. 

"I am disappointed the Supreme Court upheld a health care plan that clearly goes against our Constitution," McKinley said. "Not only is ObamaCare a bad policy that has increased healthcare costs, exploded the deficit and hurt small businesses, it is based on dubious Constitutional authority." 

Patrick Morissey, Republican candidate for West Virginia attorney general, said the court "wrongly construed the individual mandate enforcement provision as a tax and not a penalty."  

"The ruling, however, also shifts the health care fight squarely back to West Virginia. West Virginia must now determine how it plans to proceed with the law's expansion of Medicaid," Morrissey said. "The Court ruled that states, such as West Virginia, may opt out of the law's Medicaid expansion without forfeiting all of the existing Medicaid matching monies they receive from the federal government."

Morrissey said the decision also makes another "clear" point. 

"We must double down on our efforts to defeat President Obama and his allies to ensure that the many problematic parts of this law are repealed next year," Morissey said. "In whole, this law will have a terrible impact on the West Virginia economy and inappropriately limits our freedoms. As Attorney General, I will continue to stand up for freedom and against overreaching Washington laws such as Obamacare. Our work is not done."