This morning, I had the privilege of a one-on-one interview with Congressman John Fleming (LA-4) to discuss his thoughts surrounding the prevailing health care debate. It was interesting to get his take on an issue that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now saying could very well carry over to next year. While it is good news that a final bill may not be signed into law until the next session of Congress, we must continue to focus on House Representatives as they prepare to cast their votes this Friday or Saturday.

The Republicans have offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to Nancy Pelosi’s H.R. 3962, the “Affordable” Health Care for America Act. Among several other key differences between the two pieces of legislation, Congressman Fleming said that the amendment would “not add one dime to the deficit,” include tort reform to save taxpayers $30 billion, contain no federal mandates on states, and allow small businesses to aggregate for health care coverage.

Since we have heard a lot of rhetoric from the Democratic majority about their proposed health care reform plan, I asked Congressman Fleming to break down the specific tax implications in H.R. 3962 that he found most problematic. He started out by saying that this bill is a “tax horror show.” He went on to elaborate that the Democratic bill will ultimately hurt small businesses the most because a majority of their profits do not go into owners’ pockets, but instead are invested back into their respective businesses. Taxing these companies, many of them LLCs, at a greater rate through H.R. 3962 is particularly harmful. The Congressman also explained that H.R. 3962 would increase the marginal tax rate from 35% to 45% and result in the loss of approximately 5.5 million jobs nationwide. This 10% increase comes from the inevitable expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the excise tax of 5.4% found in H.R. 3962. And, don’t forget about the individual and employer mandates – a 2% tax on individuals if they do not purchase “approved” health insurance and 8% tax on businesses if they do not offer coverage to their employees. Neither mandate is contained within the Republican alternative.

I really appreciate the Congressman taking the time to speak to us this morning, as it is always helpful to get an inside perspective – and from a doctor to boot! He is particularly in tune to problems surrounding the health care industry, and how we can most successfully implement true reform that does not dramatically hurt taxpayers.

Stay tuned for health care updates throughout the week. Again, a House vote will likely take place this FRIDAY or SATURDAY, so please call your Representative and tell them to vote NO on H.R. 3962.