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By Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

Several weeks ago I asked my 15-year-old grandson about what makes America different from other countries in the world. After thinking about the question for a few moments he answered, “Freedom.”

Sometimes as adults, we try to make the answer to this question more complicated than it needs to be. Our country’s founders wrote the Constitution with the word “freedom” at the forefront of their minds and since that day over 200 years ago American men and women have been fighting to preserve that same freedom.

You can’t think about America’s status without counting freedom as the major factor of our success. However, among us today are those who promote a big government philosophy that forgets our foundation and threatens to take away our freedom.

The President’s health care law is one example of this big government philosophy. Since the law’s passage over two years ago I have seen multiple reports and heard first hand the disastrous effects of the law that allowed the federal government to take over our health care system.

The individual mandate that requires every American to purchase health insurance completely negates the right to make personal health care decisions. The mandate forces some who already have health insurance to change their plan and because of the uncertainty that surrounds the cost associated with the mandate, some business and corporations have stopped hiring until they know what kind of new cost they will incur.

Another frightening aspect of the president’s health care law is the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This is a board of 15 unelected bureaucrats who would be responsible for what and how much would be paid for in medical services. Some thought this new health care law would “save Medicare” but in truth this law cuts $500 billion from Medicare and empowers a board of unaccountable bureaucrats to effectively deny care to seniors.

The fight to keep freedom and choice in the hands of Americans instead of the bureaucrats in Washington is nothing new. President Reagan put it this way: "From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?"

As history has shown, this fight will continue. There will always be those eager to substitute their own supposed enlightened wisdom for the freedom of others – ready to tell us what kind of insurance to buy, how to pack our school lunches, and what kind of light bulbs to use.

But we will stand our ground. Republicans in the House have fought the denial of our freedom and offer the alternative, which allows personalized health care coverage and the freedom to choose a plan from a list of guaranteed coverage options that best suits individual needs. In the House Republican budget resolution commonly referred to as the “Path to Prosperity” lower-income individuals and individuals with higher health risks receive greater support. This plan encourages freedom and choice while guaranteeing lasting and secure coverage.

We all agree that the health care system in America needs a long-term solution, but the fix cannot come at the price of our freedom. Allowing a select few in Washington to make personal health care decisions for the masses is a step in the wrong direction. We must continue to hold on to the freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution and speak out against those willing to sacrifice it in the pursuit of government control.

We have to keep the big picture in mind. We must continue to preserve and build from our nation’s founding principle of freedom so that Americans now and in the future can recognize what my grandson does which is that the defining characteristic of America is freedom.