Orrin Hatch Slams Health Care Solution He Supported As 'Clearly Unconstitutional' (VIDEO)

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) asserted that a mandate requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance violates the U.S. Constitution during an interview on Fox News last Friday.

Addressing the legality of the measure, which was included in the health reform package enacted into law earlier this year, the six-term incumbent didn't hold back in sharing his take on the matter.

"The individual mandate, in our eyes, is clearly unconstitutional," explained Hatch to FNC anchor Greta Van Susteren. "If Congress can do that to us, then there's nothing that the government can't do to us."

Earlier this year, Julie Rovner at NPR reported on the twist of irony at the core of the Republican senator's position:

The last time Congress debated a health overhaul, when Bill Clinton was president, Hatch and several other senators who now oppose the so-called individual mandate actually supported a bill that would have required it.

In fact, says Len Nichols of the New America Foundation, the individual mandate was originally a Republican idea. "It was invented by Mark Pauly to give to George Bush Sr. back in the day, as a competition to the employer mandate focus of the Democrats at the time."

When the Clinton administration attempted to achieve health care reform, Hatch co-sponsored legislation that included an individual mandate alongside Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.).

After first appearing to flip-flop on the issue earlier this year, Hatch struggled to explain the shifting nature of his stance during an appearance on CNN.

"In 1993, we were trying to kill HillaryCare and I didn't pay any attention to that because that was part of a bill that I just hadn't centered on," he said. "But, since then, of course, 17 years later, when it comes up and I know it's possible it's going to pass, then I looked at it and, constitutionally, I came to the conclusion this would be."

Nevertheless, Hatch criticized the health care reform legislation passed under the Obama administration as "disastrous" during his more recent appearance on Fox News.

WATCH:

Comments

[ArbitorA]

03:37 AM on 12/16/2010

I hate this hypocritical SoB.

Why should I or anyone else continue to pay higher premiums and taxes because slackers like those against the individual mandate want others to pay for their own health care? What a bunch of dead beats.

If they repeal the individual mandate and we are back to square one, then draconian measures need to be introduced to collect from these leaches!!. Impound all of their assets (e.g., home, cars, wages, social security) until we the medical debt is paid in full -- with interest!!!

[nothing2fear]

08:34 PM on 11/22/2010

Health policy and reform
http://healthpolicyandreform.nejm.org/?p=2610


Health systems should be assessed by comparing the extent to which investments in public health and medical care were contributing to critical social objectives: improving health, reducing health disparities, protecting households from impoverishment due to medical expenses, and providing responsive services that respect the dignity of patients.

Despite the limitations of the available data, those who compiled the report undertook the task of applying this framework to a quantitative assessment of the performance of 191 national health care systems. These comparisons prompted extensive media coverage and political debate in many countries. In some, such as Mexico, they catalyzed the enactment of far-reaching reforms aimed at achieving universal health coverage. The comparative analysis of performance also triggered intense academic debate, which led to proposals for better performance assessment.

Despite the claim by many in the U.S. health policy community that international comparison is not useful because of the uniqueness of the United States, the rankings have figured prominently in many arenas. It is hard to ignore that in 2006, the United States was number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy. These facts have fueled a question now being discussed in academic circles, as well as by government and the public: Why do we spend so much to get so little?

[nothing2fear]

07:25 PM on 11/22/2010

I am against mandates that do not regulate these manipulative insurance companies, most industrialized nations in this world with health care for everyone, have mandated too that insurance companies make no profit. This means they only make administrative costs. This seems universal in all other nations that actually have universal health care and the insurance companies actually compete for the contract.

The government has to work harder for the people. They don’t make deals not to be able to negotiate prices for drugs. We are a major player in purchasing drugs from drug companies, why did our politicians give that power away last time? Pretty stupid if you ask me, they are either using those drugs to keep from seeing the corrupt way they represent us, or they are really, really stupid, or they are just not paying any attention and we the people cannot use them as representatives if they are any of the above.

We need, as the people of this country, to find a way of getting more representation from our government, it is broken or it is corrupted, but it definitely needs some fixing and Republicans and crossover Democrats may trust businesses to regulate themselves (our economy today shows what that is good for) but I think the people need to watch and work towards getting their government back on their side for awhile.

[nothing2fear]

07:25 PM on 11/22/2010

Documentary: Frontline: Sick Around the World

Let’s look at the problem of health care. While Japan and the United Kingdom spend around 8% of their GDP the United States spends over 15% of their GDP. Both the United Kingdom and Japan have full coverage for all of their citizens while some 43 million Americans go without health care.

Japan has the longest lived and lowest infant mortality of any nation in the world which could be considered strange because they spend only $2,249 per person on health care while the US spends $5,711 per person on health care and the United Kingdom spends $2,317 per person. So if we had a system like Japan or the British the money we spend would cover almost twice as many people (for those out there who aren’t awake yet that would be about 500 million people for the same money).


Basics for most successful countries national health care systems:

Accept everyone with no profit on basic care, insurance companies sell additional policies as well
Mandate that everyone must buy/participate
Government covers poor
Fixed prices for medical services


We already have a patch work of plans here:

Veterans get medical care like British NHS system
Seniors get medical care like Taiwan’s system
Our working with insurance get care like Germany
But for 50 million citizens we are just another poor country

[MdmX]

05:32 PM on 11/22/2010

Please sign the petition, just click on the link. Also, please e mail your senators and your congressmen/women that: IAs an American tax payer, I do not want to pay for your golden healthcare while I have to pay for our own or do without. I want that to be a priority in cutting the deficit. I also want Washington to have the same health plan as the American People. If it's good enough for America it is good enough for you.
The link to the petition, please sign and send:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/gop_healthcare_hypocrites/index.html?rc=hlinko_1142110_GOPHealth_dk

[raptor]

05:23 PM on 11/22/2010

Has anyone taken Hatch seriously after Watergate?

[Rangergirl]

04:44 PM on 11/22/2010

How can any of you Americans that voted republican this November and look yourselves in the mirror and not regret it... These folks are all hypocrits...Trickle down doesn't work.......They Lie and make up stories to keep fear alive.. They support bills and then since Obama is President they say NO to those same bills they supported.. They are against helping the unemployed ...Thru no fault of their own lost jobs to third world Countries.... Sad for America”

[dwedge]

04:42 PM on 11/22/2010

Hatch has been targeted by the Tea Party. He would gladly trade whatever vestige of integrity he has left to remain in office.

[stopthemadness69]

04:51 PM on 11/22/2010

I think they call that, pulling a McCain.

[dwedge]

05:39 PM on 11/22/2010

Bingo!
Guess it's the nature of politics. Apparently, they don't get paid enough to stand on principle.

[CarolinaYankee]

04:40 PM on 11/22/2010

Another flip flopping Mormon, trying to get us adjusted to Mittens I suppose..

[moremo]

04:09 PM on 11/22/2010

Orrin-- if you can have a good, government health care plan, then I want one as well. Seems you are happy with yours.

[freeus]

03:51 PM on 11/22/2010

Then give up your own govt health plan, man.

[dbrockx]

03:49 PM on 11/22/2010

I live in Utah and he is pitiful, talk about flip flop, wishy washy, spineless

[erl92]

03:23 PM on 11/22/2010

Orrin just retire. It's time.

[indieprncss75]

03:02 PM on 11/22/2010

I am so sick of these repub flip-floppers. Orrin Hatch reeks of desperation.

[Bigleague]

02:45 PM on 11/22/2010

Just more typical republican/teabagger bullcrap.
He either blasts it because he is racist and is just playing the republican/teabagger game of we don't care what good it does for the country or it's citizens (because we don't care about either one of them) we just want to say no to Obama for no valid reason. OR somebody threatened either him or his family in the true republican/teabagger mafia way.
Either way he looks like an idiot for flopping around on the dock. He just lost all integrity and deserves no attention or respect.