Question of the Day: Have You Been Hurt or Helped by ObamaCare?

In an interview with Patch yesterday, freshman Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-Bedford) said that her vote in January to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was to take a stand for a more efficient way of approaching health care.

"We all need affordable care," she said. "But the current law is a bad way, and inefficient way. We are now working on mitigating the costly consequences of it," she said of the law which, among other provisions, lowers prescription prices for Medicare recipients and extends coverage for young adults on their parents' insurance plan.

Hayworth said that if some are faring better under the new law, she has met a lot of people for whom it's going worse—in particular, small businesses who are struggling to cover health care for their employees.

She said consumer-directed models could work better because "everyone is aware of the costs of doing business."

"There are successful health care savings programs, such as one passed in 2007 in Indiana, where individuals pay out of pocket for routine care—this makes it possible for providers and consumers to understand the costs of what they do," she said. "These models have been shown to decrease costs over time, because everyone is more aware of the costs of prescriptions, for example, and services. Millions are saved without any decline in health standards."

• What do you think of Rep. Hayworth's stance? 
• Have you—either as an individual or a small business—been aided or hurt by President Obama's health care overhaul?

Post your comments below. We will forward them to the Congresswoman's office.

And check back for tomorrow's question of the day, and part two of our interview with Rep. Hayworth.

If you'd like to contact her directly, here is how you can reach out: 

By phone: Through the district offices in Goshen, Fishkill and Somers: (845) 206-4600.

By email: Through her website

Through Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RepNanHayworth

If the question of the day and its comment section don't provide enough room for your feedback you can easily our Local Voices section—just send me an email for instructions and guidelines.