The prize for best line of questioning to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Wednesday morning must go to Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), for pinning Sebelius down on the question of why Obamacare requires men to buy maternity coverage. Sebelius tried to squirm away–as she had done with many other questioners, but Ellmers was on her “A” game.

Ellmers’s performance was particularly commendable because she is lower in the congressional pecking order and therefore had to wait until the end, with less time to spare. She even found time, using a pointed yes-or-no question, to puncture Democrats’ favorite dodge–namely, that helped Republicans improve Medicare Part D, even though they had opposed it. (Unlike Obamacare, Medicare Part D is voluntary, as Sebelius had to admit.)

Next, Ellmers turned to the fact that Obamacare makes consumers pay more for insurance they do not need (much like being forced to buy a fancy car with all of the options, when a basic new car or used car would have been fine).

The ensuing exchange should be studied by Republicans for future reference. This is how it’s done: