Congressman Rehberg Still Planning on Fighting Access to Health Insurance

by: Matt Singer

Tue Oct 05, 2010 at 08:10:07 AM MST

In contrast, Rehberg wanted to kill the law. He both offered and supported Republican amendments to repeal the whole law or deny funding to pieces of it. "Denny will continue to support efforts to deny funding the bill," said his spokesman, Jed Link.

All Republicans on the subcommittee supported motions for repeal or defunding this year, but the amendments failed to pass after the votes fell along party lines. A House Republican aide said there's no reason to think Republicans on Appropriations wouldn't continue on the same path in the majority.

That's what the money in this bill basically goes to do. So if Rehberg is taking funding away, it is all basically in the cause of either immediately or in the long-term making health insurance more expensive and more difficult to buy.

I have to admit, I had no idea Rehberg had risen to a level of seniority on any committee remotely related to health care. His statements on the issue have repeatedly indicated his ignorance on how the current health care system and the bill that passed Congress work. Forget the Montana angle, it is a bad day for America when a charlatan controls the purse strings.

Update -- And Young Invincibles and CAP have tackled this issue in broader light -- wondering why Republicans are campaigning to take away health insurance coverage.