State Rep. Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga) this week was appointed by Republican Leader of the House of Representatives Sam Smith (R-Jefferson/Indiana/Armstrong) to serve on the newly created Health Careers Leadership Council.

Rep. Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga), Republican chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, and Rep. Curt Schroder (R-Chester) today renewed their call for passage of the Health Care Freedom Act in Pennsylvania, which would ban governments from forcing people to have health insurance or face fines and penalties. A similar measure passed by an overwhelming 71 percent of voters in Missouri yesterday.

Responding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ approval of Pennsylvania’s plan to implement high-risk insurance pooling under the federal takeover of private healthcare, state Rep. Jerry Stern (R-Blair), a Pro-Life Caucus co-chairman, slammed the plan’s backdoor measures that would subsidize abortion procedures. The Commonwealth will receive $160 million in taxpayer dollars to subsidize high-risk insurance plans, which will cover most cases of abortion.

State Rep. Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga), along with Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) and Rep. Curt Schroder (R-Chester County), today hosted the Pennsylvania Liberty March in support of preserving the constitutional rights of Pennsylvania citizens to opt out of the new federal health care law signed into law by President Barack Obama in March.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 219-212 Sunday night to expand government-run health care, effectively taking health care decisions out of the hands of citizens and their doctors.

While President Barack Obama visited Philadelphia today to promote his health care proposal, Pennsylvania House Republicans continue to offer solutions emphasizing the need to control escalating health care costs and preserve the doctor-patient relationship, which could be used as a national model. Unfortunately, our proposals have been shoved aside by the Obama administration, causing the House GOP to step up its legislative fight to reject ObamaCare if it is passed on the national level.

Rep. Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga), Republican chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, today was among more than 40 legislators across the country who signed a letter sent to President Barack Obama requesting him to consider input by state lawmakers in the national health care debate.

Joining 31 other states, the House Republican Caucus, led by Reps. Stan Saylor (R-York), Matt Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga) and Curt Schroder (R-Chester County) hosted a rally today to announce two pieces of legislation preserving 10th amendment rights and protect Pennsylvanians from ObamaCare, a massive federal government intrusion.