Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I, along with so many of my colleagues, support H.R. 2, the repeal of President Obama's healthcare law. This legislation will further harm our economy at a time when we desperately need a robust recovery.

The healthcare law is a prime example of how the tax hikes, spending sprees, and government mandates are hurting our economy and making it harder for small businesses to create jobs. That's one reason why we must repeal and replace the law with a common-sense, responsible solution that tries to address the cost of healthcare and provide more coverage to Americans without killing jobs. Removing these barriers will provide the businesses that create new jobs with the certainty they need to hire new employees and get our economy back on track.

Instead of encouraging America's leading job creators, last year's Democrat government takeover of healthcare has and will continue to hurt small businesses with more mandates, new taxes and administrative burdens, as well as higher healthcare costs. For example, the healthcare law requires businesses with more than 50 employees to provide government-approved health care. Businesses that fail to do so will be forced to pay a $2,000 penalty per employee (after the first 30 employees). For a small business employing 50 workers without providing government-approved health insurance, adding one additional worker to the payroll will result in $42,000 in new government penalties.

Over the last 15 years roughly 65 percent of new private-sector jobs have been created by small businesses. A study by the nation's largest small business association, NFIB, estimates that the employer mandate in the healthcare law will destroy 1.6 million jobs. This healthcare law is not the way to help our small business job creators.

In addition, rather than adopting commonsense policies to lower the cost of healthcare, last year's law, will increase costs. The chief actuary for Medicare estimates total healthcare spending will increase by $311 billion over the next decade, more than it would have been without the healthcare law.

With federal spending at the highest level in American history, the economy in a severe recession, and unemployment remaining stubbornly high--another massive government program with more spending, more borrowing and higher taxes will only hurt already struggling American families--not help them. The American people deserve a better plan.

Also, this law doesn't protect the unborn because it doesn't include clear and direct provisions that would prohibit federal funding of abortions. We need statutory language in the law, not an easily changed Executive Order, to prevent abortions. We have already learned that the law will allow $11 billion in taxpayer funds to be used for abortions at Community Health Centers. We must repeal and replace this law so we can end government-funded elective abortion coverage under this massive new government funding stream.

Congress should start over and consider the common-sense bipartisan solutions that Republicans have to offer. It's time to repeal the health care law and it's time for a patient-focused health bill that will help the economy and get us back to smaller government.

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