Washington policies have real and often painful effects on Fifth District Virginians, and the implementation of the president’s health care law is a prime example of such.  

This misguided law has forced many hardworking Americans to accept reduced working-hours and unsustainable increases in their insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Time and again we have seen examples of the shortcomings and flaws in this legislation.

We have also seen this law result in cancelled policies, loss of access to current physicians and providers, and an online marketplace system that has proven to be vulnerable to data breaches. Developing the federal online marketplace cost the American taxpayer over $840 million because of poor planning and management.  

The implementation of the law has not only cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but it is not achieving one of the key promises the president made about the law — that it would reduce the cost of health care. As higher premiums, deductibles and drug prices continue to drive health spending upward, he has clearly failed to deliver on that promise.

Perhaps most concerning of all is that the administration has taken action in implementing a law that lacks constitutional or legal authority.  

The House Oversight Committee has uncovered information which shows senior officials within the administration expressed concern over the lack of legal authority to fund the Affordable Care Act program, but ultimately their concerns were pushed aside to further the President’s political agenda.  

This revelation demonstrates that the administration knowingly ignored the Constitution to try to make the Affordable Care Act work. The House has sued the administration for improperly spending taxpayer dollars without legal authority.

We will continue to fight tirelessly in the House to ensure this harmful law is repealed and fully replaced with a more responsible health care plan.

Robert Hurt represents Lunenburg in the U.S. House of Representatives. He can be reached at (434) 395-0120.