Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Graves: Obamacare is a job killer

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

Obamacare has resulted in fewer hours for Missouri workers, forced small businesses to scale back or altogether stop hiring new employers, and raised taxes on industries across the economy.

Any way you slice it, Obamacare is a job-killer. The House continues to work to stop this harmful law, piece by piece and however possible.

President Obama and Nancy Pelosi's takeover of our healthcare system included a 2.3% excise tax on manufacturers of medical devices covered under Obamacare. Traditionally, excise taxes are associated with "sin taxes," like those on alcohol and tobacco. Instead, Obamacare imposes an excise tax on an industry that produces essential, lifesaving devices.

This medical device tax, like so many provisions in the President's healthcare law, does not pass the common sense test. It is resulting in fewer new jobs, and it is estimated that over 18,500 Americans have lost their jobs in the last two years simply because of the tax.

That is why I recently cosponsored the Protect Medical Innovation Act. This bill repeals the harmful medical device tax and last week passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan 280-140 vote.

Congress must do whatever possible to target the provisions that inhibit growth, restrict freedom, and kill American jobs. Please know that as your Representative I will continue to work toward repealing and replacing the President's unworkable healthcare law.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The failure to expand Medicaid is the job killer. Talk to the people who now have healthcare that couldn't see a doctor before.....

Anonymous said...

Mr. Graves - the lack of action by your party is the job killer. Should you and yours act on this manner, considering the plight of many Missourians and not the partisan attitudes; perhaps the things you mention would begin to turn around.....

Anonymous said...

Obamacare is why my husbands hours got cut and he lost his insurance. If my insurance wasn't paid by my employer none of us would have insurance. As it stands now there are more in our household without than with because it costs too much to add them my insurance. Between the two of us we make too much money for subsidies but not enough money to be able to afford the "cheap" healthcare that we are told we have to purchase. Used to you could go to an insurance agent and get a policy for less than 100 a month.....now, it's over 200 per person. Sad when you have to choose between feeding your family and having health insurance!

Anonymous said...

My self insured policy went from $280 per month with a $2,000 deductible that included dental, to $450 per month with a $6,000 deductible per person. (Me and my 2 kids) and no dental. I don't want subsidies, I don't want medicaid. I just want my real affordable insurance back. Oh, and try to actually use the insurance now with all of the new laws that doctors have to follow. Don't dare bring up any questions or concerns at a yearly wellness exam or your visit gets changed to a diagnostic and applied to your deductible. I had a cyst at my last well woman exam so it was no longer just a routine visit and ended up costing over $500 out of pocket. I wanted to ask about options for my insomnia but the Dr. said I would have to schedule a separate appointment for that. Another office visit, another hour or more of my time wasted, and more money out of pocket. This law is ridiculous!

Anonymous said...

12:41 if you don't think the insurance industry would have done unto you when you really needed your insurance then you are smoking hopium.

Single payer like the other advanced countries.

Anonymous said...

1:28
You have obviously never lived in a country with a single payer system, I t is terrible and terribly expensive. Those countries have outrageous tax rates and the doctors make the same as a car mechanic. I never went to the "government doc" because I didn't have months to wait or the desire to die, fortunately I had the money to pay for an educated doc. Single payer system would result Ina va type system for the masses and good doctors for those that can afford it. Please name one thing the government does better than the private market?

Anonymous said...

1. Finance, manage and operate our nation's military. The Halliburton-KBR/Blackwater/DynCorp model didn't work so well.



Anonymous said...

Well then maybe the GOP should come up with a plan that EVERYONE will be happy with.

Anonymous said...

Did you really reply "finance" as something the government does well? Hahahahahahaha you have to be kidding, ever heard the amount of our deficit and how much of that is attributable to the defense budget?

Gop plan for insurance is get a job.