NTU urges all Representatives to vote “NO” on H.R. 3962, the “Affordable” Health Care for America Act. This 1,990-page, $1 trillion bill is NOT health care reform, but rather a political ploy to deceive taxpayers and forever distort the relationship between government and the people it serves. While there are innumerable provisions in this legislation that we oppose, we have chosen to highlight those that we believe are most detrimental to taxpayers.

H.R. 3962 will hurt, if not destroy, small businesses. Small business owners making $500,000 or more will be hit with a 5.4 percent surtax to fund part of this supposed “reform.” That, coupled with the pending expiration of the Bush tax cuts, will increase the marginal tax rate from 35 to 45 percent, resulting in the loss of approximately 5.5 million jobs nationwide. Additionally, businesses will be slapped with a mandate requiring them to offer “approved” health insurance to their employees. Businesses could be taxed as high as 8 percent because of this mandate, leading many to lay off workers if they cannot afford the extra costs.

H.R. 3962 contains 100 authorizations and appropriations that inflate the role and size of the federal government at unprecedented, not to mention unsustainable, levels. The dollar figures in H.R. 3962 total in excess of $100 billion, as well as 32 additional authorizations “for such sums as may be necessary.” Looking at the larger picture, the Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill will cost $1.055 trillion; however, that does not include the additional $34 billion states will pay for Medicaid expansion or the $245 billion for Medicare reimbursements for doctors. Nor does it include the authorized discretionary spending for grants, public programs, changes and funding for a variety of agencies forced into implementing H.R. 3962.

Unbridled spending, tax hikes, and a more powerful, less accountable government are not the way to lower costs and improve our health system. It is our hope that you will put party politics aside, vote NO on H.R. 3962, and work toward passage of a common-sense, more fiscally responsible health care bill that empowers patients, not Washington bureaucrats.

Roll call votes on H.R. 3962 will be among only a handful in the last decade to receive the highest weight of 100 in our annual Rating of Congress.

If you have any questions, please contact
NTU Federal Government Affairs Manager Jordan Forbes at (703) 683-5700
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