McCaskill Said “I Don’t Think There Would Be Any Constitutional Challenge” To The Government Intervening In Health Care. “Victor Lovell, Warrensburg, asked whether Congress has constitutional authority to intervene in health care. ‘Medicare is government intervention in health care. It is wildly, wildly popular in this country,’ McCaskill answered, as are health programs for veterans using what amounts to a single-payer insurance system. McCaskill said health insurers lack competition, accounting for costs rising faster than average workers can absorb. ‘You still haven’t answered the question!’ an audience member shouted. Gary Grigsby, Warrensburg, posed the same question. McCaskill said previous constitutional challenges to government involvement in the free-market economy have failed. ‘I don’t think there would be any constitutional challenge,’ she said.” (Jack Miles, “McCaskill Answers Health Questions,” The Daily Star-Journal, 8/27/09)

McCaskill On Health Care Reform: “I Can Assure You That I Would Only Support The Bill If I Believed It To Be Constitutional, And All Indications Say That It Is.” (Op-Ed, “How Can Government Require People To Buy Health Insurance?” Springfield News-Leader, 12/16/09)

2009: McCaskill Said Discussions Of Opting Out Of Health Care Reform Were Premature And Dumb

December Of 2009: McCaskill Said It Was “Premature” And “Kind Of Dumb” For Legislators To Already Be Discussing Opting Out Of, Among Other Aspects Of The Bill, The Individual Mandate.“‘The notion that some legislators want to opt out of all the health care reforms, that seems pretty premature and frankly kind of dumb,’ said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) yesterday in a conference call with reporters. ‘They want to opt Missouri out of something they don’t know what it is.  ‘I think we are going to pass a health care bill, and the sky will not fall,’ McCaskill added. ‘Health care costs will come down, and it’s going to be better..’ Cunningham’s party is opposing changes. At the heart of the debate are mandates requiring everyone to have insurance, requiring employers to offer insurance to their workers and requiring insurance companies to cover people regardless of pre-existing medical conditions.” (Terry Ganey, “State Senator Proposes Insurance Opt-Out,” Columbia Daily Tribune, 12/10/09)

2010: Missourians Voted To Prohibit The Government From Requiring People To Buy Health Insurance

“Missouri Voters On Tuesday Overwhelmingly Approved A Measure Aimed At Nullifying The New Federal Health Care Law, becoming the first state in the nation where ordinary people made known their dismay over the issue at the ballot box.” (Monica Davey, “Missouri Voters Reject Health Law,” The New York Times, 8/3/10)

“About 71 Percent Of Missouri Voters Backed A Ballot Measure, Proposition C, That Would Prohibit The Government From Requiring People To Have Health Insurance Or From Penalizing Them For Not Having It.” (“Missouri Votes To Block Obama’s Health Insurance Mandate,” Fox News, 8/4/10)

“The Measure Was Intended To Invalidate A Crucial Element Of President Obama’s Health Care Law — Namely, That Most People Be Required To Get Health Insurance Or Pay A Tax Penalty.” (Monica Davey, “Missouri Voters Reject Health Law,” The New York Times, 8/3/10)

McCaskill Blamed The Vote Results On Missourians Not Being “Fully Aware” Of ObamaCare’s “Positive Aspects” And Said “It Was Just About Political Posturing”

McCaskill “Said The Results Reflect The Fact That Voters Have Been Bombarded With Anti-Government Criticism Of The New Law And Aren’t Fully Aware Of Its Positive Aspects.” “Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who backed the health care law, said the results reflect the fact that voters have been bombarded with anti-government criticism of the new law and aren’t fully aware of its positive aspects. ‘Big government, bad government, don’t trust ‘em’ is a pretty simple message,’ said McCaskill.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and David A. Lieb, “Missouri Vote Puts Health Care Back In Crosshairs,” The Associated Press, 8/5/10)

A McCaskill Spokeswoman Said The Senator Would “Keep Working To Inform Missourians Of The Benefits Of The [Health Care] Law.” “Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill’s reaction to the vote illustrated the muted response by Democrats. ‘Sen. McCaskill understands the distrust that Missourians have of their government. She is going to keep working to inform Missourians of the benefits of the law, and she will work to make changes if they don’t work,’ a spokeswoman for McCaskill said.” (Bill Lambrecht , “Health Vote Revs Up Politics Republicans Seize On Support For Their Stance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/5/10)

In Response To Missourans Voting Down The Individual Mandate In Obamacare, McCaskill Noted The Heavy Republican Turnout For The Primary And Said The Result “Doesn’t Have Any Legal Impact, But It Was Just About Political Posturing.” “Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the result was not a surprise to her, especially given the heavy Republican turnout for contested Republican primaries. ‘There was a 2-to-1 turnout of Republicans to Democrats,’ she said. ‘It’s in the DNA of Missourians not to trust the government. Missourians generally don’t like the government to ever tell them what to do. Mandate is not a fun word for Missourians, so I was not surprised by the message vote that occurred yesterday. It doesn’t have any legal impact, but it was just about political posturing.’” (Jane Norman, “Republicans Applaud Missouri Vote To Repeal Health Care Law Mandate,” Congressional Quarterly HealthBeat, 8/4/10)

• “‘I Certainly Noticed The Vote On Prop C, The Healthcare Law, And: Message Received,’ She [McCaskill] Told State Reporters The Day After The Vote.” (Jason Millman, “Dem Senator: Congress Should Pursue Alternatives To Individual Health Mandate,” The Hill’s Healthwatch Blog, www.thehill.com, Posted 1/5/11)

The Kansas City Star Reported McCaskill Continued To Show Strong Support For The Individual Mandate “As Recently As December.” “Asked for her reaction at the time of that vote, McCaskill responded: ‘Message received.’ But she continued expressing strong support for the mandate as recently as December.” (Steve Kraske, “McCaskill Looks For Alternatives To Health Care Mandate,” Kansas City Star, 1/7/11)

McCaskill Voted Against Removing The Mandate From The Health Care Bill

McCaskill Voted To Kill An Amendment That Would Have Removed The Individual Mandate From The Health Care Bill. “Baucus, D-Mont., motion to table (kill) the Ensign, R-Nev. amendment no. 3710 that would repeal provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul law that provide for IRS penalties for certain taxpayers that do not obtain basic health insurance coverage.” (H.R. 4872, CQ Vote #101: Motion agreed to 58-40: R 0-40; D 56-0; I 2-0, 3/25/10, McCaskill Voted Yea)

Missouri’s Democratic Attorney General Opposed The Individual Mandate In Health Care Reform

“Missouri’s Democratic Attorney General Broke With His Party On Monday And Urged A Federal Judge To Invalidate The Central Provision Of The New Health Care Law.” (A. G. Sulzberger and Kevin Sack, “Democrat In Missouri To Oppose Health Care Law,” The New York Times, 4/11/11)

Koster Asked That The Mandate Be Removed From Health Care Reform. “He asked that the mandate be stripped from the law, and that the rest of it be allowed to remain in effect.” (A. G. Sulzberger and Kevin Sack, “Democrat In Missouri To Oppose Health Care Law,” The New York Times, 4/11/11)

Koster Called The Individual Mandate “A Substantial Blow To Federalism And Personal Freedom.” “Though Mr. Koster has been slow to weigh in, he did not mince words, arguing in the court brief that Congress had overstepped its authority by mandating that individuals buy health insurance, which he called ‘a substantial blow to federalism and personal freedom.’” (A. G. Sulzberger and Kevin Sack, “Democrat In Missouri To Oppose Health Care Law,” The New York Times, 4/11/11)

• “‘If Congress Can Force Activity Under The Commerce Clause, Then It Could Force Individuals To Receive Vaccinations Or Annual Checkups, Undergo Mammogram Or Prostate Exams Or Maintain A Specific Body Mass,’ He Wrote.” (A. G. Sulzberger and Kevin Sack, “Democrat In Missouri To Oppose Health Care Law,” The New York Times, 4/11/11)