Obamacare opponents in Ohio collect enough signatures to get constitutional amendment on fall ballot

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: Obamacare, Ohio, health news

(NaturalNews) After months of collecting signatures to get a constitutional amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, on the November 8 ballot, Ohio residents opposed to the health care overhaul have finally achieved success.

Reports indicate that the group Ohioans for Healthcare Freedom (OHF) helped spearhead a campaign that successfully collected the 358,000 signatures needed to allow Ohioans to vote on an amendment that would prohibit the Buckeye State from complying with Obamacare's provisions.

According to an Associated Press release, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has confirmed that supporters of the amendment successfully collected and submitted 427,000 valid signatures, which is nearly 70,000 more than the 358,000 minimum that was needed.

And with the help of OHF's 35,000 volunteers across the state, this groundswell of opposition to Obamacare in Ohio builds momentum for other states to follow the same course, and for the US Supreme Court to finally make a ruling on the constitutionality of Obamacare.

If passed, the Ohio amendment will prohibit any federal, state, or local law from forcing Ohio residents, employers, or health care providers to comply with any sort of official healthcare system. It will also prohibit the passage or enforcement of any law that tries to set a minimum mandatory threshold for individual healthcare coverage.

"This issue would not be on the ballot without the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands and thousands and thousands of volunteers," said Jeff Longstreth, campaign manager for OHF. "The message is clear: keep health care between doctors and patients, and keep bureaucrats out of it."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has expressed his support for the amendment, as have numerous "tea party" and religious groups. Opponents of the amendment, however, have until August 5 to file a challenge. And if a challenge is granted, supporters of the amendment will be given ten additional days to gather more signatures.

Sources for this story include:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ohio-health-ca...