The Constitution Party of Missouri issued a statement opposing the current health care legislation being considered in the US House of Representatives. The party challenges the federal government's authority to mandate insurance purchase or issue fines, asserting that since the United States Constitution does not contain the words "health insurance," "health care," "medicine," or "doctor," Congress lacks the authority to regulate healthcare providers or insurance companies.

     "The Federal government has no constitutional authority to be attempting a take-over of our health care system and instead should be passing laws reducing or eliminating federal involvement in health care", said State Chair Donna Ivanovich of Arnold, Missouri.

     Ivanovich also raised concerns about the legislation's economic implications.

     "It is a virtual certainty that the cost estimates of health care legislation are dramatically understated," Ivanovich said.  "In 1965, Medicare Part A was estimated to cost $9 billion in 1990, when in actuality it was $67 billion. This past week, Moody's Investor Services warned the United States it is perilously close to losing its AAA credit rating because of the total amount of debt."

     The Constitution Party Platform makes this statement concerning health care and government involvement, "The Constitution Party opposes the governmentalization and bureaucratization of American medicine. Government regulation and subsidy constitutes a threat to both the quality and availability of patient-oriented health care and treatment."

     "This is just another attempt by a central government to take over a large sector of an economy on the pretext of "helping its citizens," Ivanovich said. "Centralized government has been the dream of socialists for generations. History shows wherever and whenever socialism has been tried, it has failed. This proposed health care take-over will be to the detriment of all Americans young and old. To continue on the present course will only further strengthen the Federal government's control over every aspect of our lives."