“But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” - Then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties, March 2010

Last year, while representing the Third District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives, I fought hard against President Obama’s health care plan.  I knew that Arkansans opposed spending over $1 trillion of their money on a plan that would raise taxes, , increase premiums, destroy jobs, open the door to a government takeover of our personal and private health care choices, and cut Medicare programs without doing anything to contain costs.

The President and his allies in Congress forced that bill through.  They told Americans you will like it when “the fog of the controversy” has subsided.  Well, the fog is lifting, and we are learning we were right all along.

More and more information is coming forward to show how the President’s health care law continues to bury small businesses under a mountain of new regulations, mandates, and taxes.  A recent study by the National Federal of Independent Business (NFIB) confirms that a majority of businesses with 50 or less employees are likely to drop coverage for their employees, effectively moving them in to the government program.

The harmful effects this law will have on America’s job creators will not end there.  NFIB found that the majority of America’s small businesses do not believe that the law will accomplish most of what it promised to do.  77% of those surveyed think the law will increase taxes and 65% think the law will infringe on the rights of Americans. 

On the heels of the NFIB report, comes a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research which shows that the costs of the President’s health care law are being understated by as much as $50 billion per year.  Their analysis contends that the official budget forecasts ignore the cost of insuring many employees’ spouses and children, which could cost the U.S. Treasury hundreds of billions of dollars during the first ten years of the new health care law’s implementation.

We must address the crippling costs of health care and create access to quality to care for all Americans.  But the Obama Administration’s government takeover is not the answer.  In our current, overregulated healthcare system, Washington insiders and bureaucrats have the power to pick winners and losers.  Doctors, hospitals, patients, and nurses waste time and money jumping through hoops of government paperwork, regulations, and compliance responsibilities instead of focusing on delivering quality, affordable, patient-centered care. 

This flawed law needs to be replaced with real reform that is patient-focused and actually controls costs.  Let’s open up competition by allowing people to buy insurance across state lines.   Let’s expand Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts for Americans.  Let’s allow small businesses to pool their resources to get the best health care plans for their employees. And let’s end the nuisance lawsuits that are needlessly driving up the costs of practicing medicine.    

These are common-sense policies that will bring real reform to our health care system without crippling our economy.  These free-market solutions will go a long way to reforming our health care system.