Obamacare

Floor Speech

Mr. RICE of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Democratic Senator Max Baucus was dead-on when he called the President's health care law a ``train wreck.'' Its effects are becoming clear and undeniable. It is stifling economic growth and job creation, premiums are skyrocketing, and record numbers of employers are delaying hiring or hiring part time to avoid the employer mandate.

I recently heard from a hardworking small business owner, Sue Lee, who owns a hardware store in Latta, South Carolina. Since the passage of ObamaCare, she has seen her insurance premium balloon to more than $2,100 per month, or $26,000 per year, for three employees. That's outrageous. How can we expect our small businesses to grow and expand when they are forced to comply with more and more burdensome Federal regulation?

I am so glad we have the Federal Government to dictate to we helpless citizens which coverages we need. We can't be trusted to make that choice ourselves. How can we expect our small businesses to hire when they can't afford to buy maternity coverage on every employee, regardless of their age, mental health coverage on every employee? And substance abuse coverage on every employee is mandated by this ill-conceived and poorly drafted law.

The American economy would have already recovered if we could get the Federal Big Brother out of the way. I'm glad we delayed the employer and individual mandates, but the only way to relieve this law's enormous drag on our economy and get hardworking Americans back to work is full repeal.

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