News for the Ninth - 10.23.2009

As the House continues to discuss and develop its approach to addressing health care, one thing is clear -- business owners need meaningful reform that increases access to quality, affordable health care. Sadly, many of the provisions in the Majority’s House bill fall far short of achieving those goals. 

The Majority’s plan for a government takeover of health care would impose more than $820 billion in new taxes. The Majority bill would also enact a $544 billion surtax on the so-called “rich” to help pay for their government takeover of health care. According to data from the IRS, more than half of those targeted under the bill’s health care “surtax” are small business owners. The Majority also wants to impose roughly $208 billion in new taxes on businesses that cannot afford to pay for their employees’ health care. The result of these new taxes on jobs would be the loss of an estimated 5.5 million jobs.

In the past, small businesses have created more than 72 percent of new jobs across the country. Small business is the engine that fuels our economy. That is why I am deeply troubled by the current legislation working its way through the legislative process and the negative effects it would have on our hard- working small business owners and their employees.

Since the current recession began almost two years ago, more than 7 million jobs have been lost.  The Department of Labor reports that 263,000 jobs were lost in September alone. I have one important question for my colleagues who control the House: Why are you pushing a government takeover of health care when the facts show such a takeover would inflict harm on small businesses and make job losses even worse?