Brian Hensley is chairman of the Freeborn County Republican Party and local financial adviser with Intego Financial Group. Hensley also serves on the city of Albert Lea Parks and Recreation Board. All opinions are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the organizations he is associated with.

Even Gov. Mark Dayton gets it — Obamacare and MNsure are not affordable!

DFL politicians are feeling the Obamacare and MNsure heat. Last week, Gov. Mark Dayton stated what everyone except partisan Democrats have known all along: The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is not affordable.

Obamacare has become a huge issue in the First District congressional race between Republican Jim Hagedorn and Democrat incumbent Tim Walz. During their debates and on the airwaves, Rep. Walz is having to really try hard to explain his vote for Obamacare and causing the cancellation of health insurance plans and skyrocketing premiums and deductibles.

For his part, Rep. Walz made a huge gaffe during the Oct. 3 Mankato debate by blaming Rochester’s Mayo Clinic for his Obamacare vote. I’m sure the Mayo Clinic and its employees do not appreciate Tim Walz using them as a scapegoat for Obamacare and the law’s 25,000 pages of federal medical care and insurance regulations or the massive shift from private health insurance to government insurance that reimburses doctors and hospitals at 30 cents on the dollar. 

Hagedorn is right to label Obamacare “the worst vote Tim Walz will ever cast in Congress.” Obamacare is punishing farmers, small businesses and everyday southern Minnesotans. Let’s vote for Jim Hagedorn and teach Tim Walz a much-deserved Obamacare lesson.

On the state side, I think we got some real clarity into how local candidates feel about the health care situation we find ourselves in. 

Rep. Peggy Bennett stated, “It’s an incredible mess that needs to be fixed now.”

Gene Dornink who is running for state Senate shared, “We are definitely having a crisis here.”

In the KAAL debate, Sen. Dan Sparks stated, “As a state, Minnesota has done a great job concerning the health care thing.”  This past week at the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce debate he pointed out, “Minnesota has done a good job. We are a leader in health insurance around the entire nation, and unfortunately this is happening across the country but many other states are looking at us as a leader. Of course there is need for reform.” Thirty seconds later, Sen. Sparks said, “We did talk about a few approaches because we saw this coming.” Video is online at youtube.com if you search Albert Lea chamber debate with health care answers starting at 27:15.2

You saw this coming? And you still voted for these programs? If so, that is a great reason to make a change.

Leaders around this country have seen the problems facing our health insurance program coming since before MNsure and Obamacare passed. Both of these bills and laws passed federally and in Minnesota with zero Republican support. These bills were 100 percent conceived, written and now implemented by Democrats.

And they are failing. Families that used to be have affordable insurance that met their family needs are now in a panic about how to pay premiums that are more than their mortgages.

Vote wisely. These are the people who are either going to support a program they created with minor changes, or people who see a real change is needed.