COLUMN: Obamacare Turns 1: No Cause to Celebrate

Normally, birthdays are cause for celebration. They allow us to take a moment and reflect on the past year. It is hard to believe that just one short year ago, liberals in Congress haphazardly rammed through a 2,800 page health care bill that made its way to the President's desk where it was signed, sealed, and delivered to the American people. The arrogant manner in which the partisan Democratic leadership refused to explain what was specifically in the bill bothers me to this day. Back room deals struck hours before passage coupled with murky votes taken during specially convened midnight sessions of Congress is how this legislation will be gruesomely remembered.

The health care takeover was not discussed and debated in an open process nor was it fully read by many Members of Congress who eventually cast their votes in support of it. My favorite quote to describe this bizarre situation was provided courtesy of then-Speaker of the House Pelosi, "We have to pass the (health care) bill so you can find out what is in it." Yes America, that is how Congress operated in the hands of a liberal majority: Vote First. Read Second.

ObamaCare not only hurts seniors and their current health care plans, it kills jobs and development of small businesses while adding trillions of dollars more to the nation's overall debt. This is unacceptable.

ObamaCare's one-half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts put seniors' at risk with access to health care. As the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) points out, such cuts may be difficult to sustain over a long period of time since some of these cuts are so deep that providers may end their participation in Medicare altogether. ObamaCare will also result in millions of seniors losing their preferred choice of health plan. 9 out of 10 seniors will lose their employer-sponsored retiree Medicare drug coverage because of the government takeover of health care. ObamaCare will cut Medicare benefits for millions of seniors causing their premiums to increase.

Small businesses, the backbone of our nation's economy, will also be crippled by the government takeover of health care. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported more than 1.6 million jobs will be lost if the ObamaCare employer mandate is enacted. A National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey shows tax paperwork is the most expensive burden the federal government is saddling small businesses with. While ObamaCare is drowning these employers in accounting paper work, unemployment rates continue to hover at 9% for 21 straight months. More than 14 million Americans continue to be without jobs! Rather than focusing on health care, the Administration should have been more concerned with the unemployment situation facing every day Americans in towns like Pelion, Allendale, and Cayce. Congress must empower job creating small businesses!

The government run health care plan would cost $2.6 trillion to implement while adding $701 billion to the deficit.This is an intentional expansion of big government to further control citizens, not a reform of health care.

In November, the American people sent a message loud and clear to Washington: Repeal the Health Care Takeover. Limit Spending. Focus on Creating Jobs. House Republicans have done just that. Since January, the House has actively sought ways to repeal ObamaCare.

Washington needs to get serious about policies that not only limit spending but promote job creation. Repealing the 1099 provision allows for business owners to be more focused on growing and expanding their business rather than being consumed with overburdening paperwork.

This is the new perspective Americans voted for in Washington.

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