House Majority Leader Eric Cantor visits Cape

U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor brought a national-level priority for the Republican Party -- fighting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act -- to the local political scene during a roundtable talk with area business executives and doctors Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.

Cantor, a Virginia Republican, was in town for a Tuesday night fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri's 8th Congressional District. Smith hosted the roundtable event, which was held at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and preceded the fundraiser.

About 20 people -- most selected by Smith's staff after they contacted his office with complaints about the health-care law -- participated in the discussion.

High-ranking Republicans remain on the attack as President Barack Obama's administration and proponents of the law work to sort out problems with the national health insurance website. Changes also have been made to the law that are supposed to allow consumers to keep their current insurance if they choose. The changes came after backlash against the White House over some consumers losing their policies.

Republican and Democrat party leaders and operatives are continuing a daily gathering and sharing of stories of so-called failures and successes from the law. The law, also known as Obamacare, basically requires the uninsured to buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. The law also stops insurance companies from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions from coverage.

At the meeting, Cantor and Smith heard from business owners facing cost increases of 30 percent or more from the previous year for employee health care and some who said they can't spend money on capital improvements because of uncertainty about plans and pricing; a pastor who has chosen to join an alternative cost-sharing group for medical expenses because he does not want a health care government subsidy; a physicians' group concerned it isn't being approached to become providers under the new exchanges and worried patients won't be able to navigate the new insurance system; and an owner of a medical company who said he can't expand coverage to employees' families because of the cost. All said rules and regulations in the new health-care law are the cause of their problems.

"We are in a mess right now," Cantor said after hearing from several people. "I am really afraid of what's going to happen in the next 45 days if there isn't some clarity brought," referring to Jan. 1, which is the date the new health-care exchange policies are set to take effect. "Now the administration is banking on their website starting to work. I don't think the website is the answer. I mean, it needs to be functioning, but there are a lot bigger flaws here, right?"

Proponents of the Affordable Care Act have charged that Republicans have no alternative for fixing the nation's health-coverage woes. But Cantor said Tuesday more attention needs to be paid to the party's plan that has been out there for some time.

"What I would say, in fact in 2009, we had a nine-point plan that is still up on GOP.gov today, and it takes in the notion that why don't you have an individual risk pool, an individual private exchange. That's what we called for."

Individual markets that would be available across state lines also would be part of Republicans' plan, Cantor said.

Cantor also said he believes the political "flavor" in Congress now over the law is "those who supported and touted the law are becoming increasingly concerned about the representation that they made to their constituents."

Several polls released this week show Republicans gaining support related to the situation with the Affordable Care Act, stirring fear among Democrats that their majority in the Senate could be in danger in the 2014 elections.

eragan@semissourian.com

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1267 N. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, MO