Rokita promotes new health care bill

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Republican fourth district Congressman Todd Rokita is hoping his newly introduced health care bill will cut some programs he sees as broken, including Medicaid and what's commonly referred to as 'Obamacare.'

The bill is referred to as the 'State Health Flexibility Act of 2012', and if passed, would repeal "The Patient Protection and affordable care act", as well as repeal Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program.

Rokita said the legislation aims to give lump grants to each state quarterly, and let the state's governing officials decide how their health programs will work.

Rokita said if each state is allowed to define the terms of their medical programs the rules and regulations will better fit the needs of the state's citizens.

“Let the local officials, let the people themselves, number one, decide who really is poor and what that means. I mean if you look at folks who are quote, unquote defined as poor these days, there are some people that are in dire need no doubt. But poor can also mean folks that have two or three color televisions,” said Congressman Rokita.

Under the State Health Flexibility Act the money given to each state would be fixed at a ten year rate. Rokita feels if the governing heads of each state are in charge of its healthcare plan the citizens of that state will be better served, and cost should eventually decrease.

"Take the federal government out of the way and you get the cookie cutter mantra out of the way, and you let the state's governors and officials have the flexibility, the say to stretch those dollars, you find you really don't need as much money over the years to serve those people that really need it," said Rokita.

Rokita said that would make sure the federal government would not place higher and higher amounts of money into health care programs.