Health Care


The final health care legislation that passed the House on March 21, 2010 and became law on March 23, 2010 is full of bad policies.  It will raise health insurance premiums, add billions to our national debt, and hike taxes.  It creates impossible new regulations and mandates for small businesses.  Not only will this new law dramatically increase the role of government in health care and trap Americans in a web of bureaucratic red tape, it is virtually guaranteed to crush job creation and stifle small business innovation nationwide.  

Entrepreneurs need certainty in this unsteady economy. Business owners are hesitant to hire workers, borrow money or expand operations because they are unsure whether a stable economic recovery is underway.  This uncertainty stems directly from damaging Washington initiatives like the health care takeover that threaten investment and growth.

Right now, businesses are facing more uncertainty than ever as we try to understand the impact that the new health care law will have on our families, our communities, and our economy.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects the law will cost $940 billion dollars over the next decade.  Add in the reconciliation bill that included a package of “fixes” to the underlying health care legislation, and the cost for this health care overhaul jumps to $1.2 trillion. All that money has to come from somewhere, so the law includes $569.2 billion in tax increases that will fall heavily on small businesses and other employers.

While we need to take steps to improve the nation’s health care system, punishing our small businesses by forcing them to carry the financial burden is something our economy cannot afford.  Congress must now work together to challenge provisions in the new law that will have a negative effect on small businesses and our economy.   This law can be dramatically improved by replacing job-killing provisions with common sense reforms focused on lowering premiums and protecting American jobs.