111th Congress - 3/21/2010
Health Plan Passed by House Will Cost Jobs, Increase Taxes and Create More Bureaucracy, Rep. Jerry Lewis Warns
 

 WASHINGTON – The health care bill that was narrowly passed Sunday will likely cause employers to cut back on hiring, increase taxes for millions of Americans and put health care decisions in the hands of bureaucrats, Congressman Jerry Lewis said.

“My constituents want and need health care reforms that keep costs down while ensuring that everyone has access to treatment and medical care,” Lewis said. “But Nancy Pelosi and her leadership have created a massive new government program that will lead to government-run health care and add trillions to the national debt in the coming years.”

“It is clear that the American people do not want a nationalized health care system. But the House majority has turned their backs on the American taxpayer and pushed through one of the most massive government programs in history,” Lewis said. “I fear that many businesses will put off hiring new workers because they have to pay for this new government mandate.”

“We have started down the path to government-run health care, a path that could be a disaster for small business, taxpayers and the overwhelming majority of Americans who have said they want to keep their current health-care plans.”

“Our medical system is the envy of the world, and we can fix problems like ensuring that no one is denied health care because of a pre-existing condition without destroying what we have,” Lewis said. “I fear that the plan rammed through the House by Speaker Pelosi will destroy that world-class system.”

Lewis supports a plan that would allow individuals to buy health care across state lines, create insurance pools to help small businesses buy affordable policies for their employees, and establish new limits to the kinds of junk lawsuits that cause doctors to practice expensive “defensive” medicine. It would prevent denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this plan would reduce federal deficits by $68 billion over 10 years and reduce private insurance premiums by up to 10 percent.

“Our plan would not raise taxes at a time when Congress should do everything possible to encourage businesses to hire more workers,” Lewis said. “The government takeover plan that has been rammed through the House will raise taxes on small businesses by $52 billion.”

“They would hire as many as 16,000 new IRS agents just to collect the massive new taxes approved under this bill,” Lewis said. “We do not need a health care plan that puts even more power in the hands of the IRS.”