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Politics & Government

Rep. Jerry Lewis "Disappointed" By Supreme Court Ruling

The Congressman says he will work to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, announced Thursday morning that he was disappointed by the Supreme Court as constitutional.

"While I respect the Supreme Court, I strongly disagree that it is constitutional to require every American to have government approved health insurance or face a tax penalty," he said in a statement. "I agree with the four justices who wrote that that the law 'exceeds federal power.'"

Lewis added, "Now that the court has ruled, we must still face the fact that health reform creates a massive new government program that will lead to government-run health care, add trillions to the national debt and kill job creation.

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"We have started down the path to government-run health care, a path that could be a disaster for small business and taxpayers. Not to mention the overwhelming majority of Americans who have said they want to keep their current health-care plans."

In his statement, Lewis vows to work towards repealing the law.

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"We in the House have voted numerous times to restrict the health care law, and we will vote again next month to repeal it entirely," he said. "None of these reforms has passed the Senate, however. It is up to the voters to once again express their views by changing the makeup of the Senate.”

According to Lewis, he supports a plan that would allow individuals to buy health care across state lines and create insurance pools to help small businesses buy affordable policies for their employees.

Lewis is retiring once his term is over early next year, after representing San Bernardino and Riverside Counties in Congress for 33 years.

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