Ryan Goes After Obamacare in First Post-Election Appearance in District

In Paul Ryan’s first appearance in his home state, and the 1st Congressional District, since his failed vice presidential bid, the Republican congressman took aim squarely at Obamacare — and warned that if changes aren’t made, insurance and the health-care system will fall apart.

Ryan was the headlining speaker at a Racine Tea Party event Sunday afternoon in Caledonia. Focused on the Affordable Care Act — commonly referred to as Obamacare — he and other speakers told the crowd of about  300 what was wrong with the law. They said even though Democrats still hold the White House, Republicans are committed to fighting it.

Read more about Sunday’s Racine Tea Party event.

Ryan called the law “fundamentally flawed” in both its conception and implementation. Republicans had three options for knocking the law down, Ryan said, and two of them are no longer on the table: the US Supreme Court challenge, Mitt Romney winning the White House and repealing the law. The only one left, he said, was watching the law collapse under its own weight.

“Obamacare is too overarching and it runs contrary to the practices of this country so it can’t last,” Ryan stated.

Ryan said the leaders of a large Wisconsin company talked with him and said if their competitors stop offering insurance — because providing the benefit is more expensive than paying the $2,000-per-employee fine for not offering health insurance to employees — that company would follow.

“We’re going to see competitive dumping because of Obamacare, and that’s when we’ll really see costs go up,” Ryan continued.

Obamacare is about price control, Ryan said, not the freedom of choice that President Barack Obama would have everyone believe. And, he said, the American people deserve a better plan.

“We owe you a specific alternative and I believe we can pick the right path to a free economy, to being debt free and stick to our founding principles,” Ryan said.

Obamacare wasn’t the only issue Ryan addressed. In response to an audience question about income tax reform, he once again raised his plan to close tax loopholes.

“We know we can’t beat something with nothing so we plan on going into great legislative detail about Obamacare replacement, reforming the income tax code and dealing with our entitlement problem,” he said. “We need a tax code that’s equal so companies like GE will have to pay because we’re taking away those loopholes. We need a tax code that keeps everyone equal in their brackets so it will be about what you make and not who you know.”