Our legislation gives the people of South Carolina a chance to have their say about Obamacare ... Allow us to opt-out.
Support legislation allowing states, including South Carolina, to opt out of the major mandates of Obamacare.
Occurrences
Evidence
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and John Barrasso said they introduced S.244, the State Health Care Choice Act, to repeal and replace Obamacare by allowing states to 'Opt-Out' of its major provisions, including the individual mandate, employer mandate, Medicaid mandate, and benefit mandates.
Congress.gov records S.244, the State Health Care Choice Act, as introduced in the Senate on 2011-02-01 and summarizes it as authorizing states to limit application of PPACA by enacting a law expressing intent to opt out of one or more provisions, including individual and employer coverage requirements and Medicaid expansion. Latest action shown is sponsor introductory remarks on 2011-02-07; the bill status is Introduced.
Graham said he and Trey Gowdy were pushing the State Health Care Choice Act, which would allow states to 'opt-out' of the major mandates included in Obamacare. The release says the bill would let a state like South Carolina opt out of the ACA's mandates.
Graham announced he had signed on as a cosponsor of the Patient Freedom Act of 2017, saying it transfers power from Washington back to patients and states and repeals several Obamacare mandates, while giving states three options including a state alternative and keeping Obamacare.
Assessments
The promise was framed as supporting legislation, not necessarily securing enactment. Graham had already introduced S.244, the State Health Care Choice Act, and during the 2014 Senate campaign period publicly continued pushing the same state opt-out proposal with Trey Gowdy. The bill matched the promised policy by allowing states such as South Carolina to opt out of major ACA mandates. It did not become law, but the promised action was legislative support, which he materially provided in federal office during the relevant same-term context.
The promise was framed as supporting legislation to let states such as South Carolina opt out of major Obamacare mandates, not necessarily guaranteeing enactment. Graham had already introduced S.244, the State Health Care Choice Act, in 2011, continued publicly backing the same opt-out concept during the 2014 Senate campaign, and later cosponsored related Obamacare replacement legislation in 2017 during the Senate term following that campaign. The underlying opt-out legislation did not become law, so this should not be credited as delivering the policy outcome itself, but it does fulfill the narrower promise to support such legislation in the relevant federal office context.