New video surfaced today showing Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) backing a jobs-killing government takeover of health care – even as news reports show Ohio’s unemployment has increased in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties! Watch Governor Strickland here:
According to Channel 5 (WLWT) in Cincinnati, “[p]ost-holiday unemployment rates jumped considerably in southwest Ohio,” and Associated Press reports that “the state had unemployment of 10.8 percent in January.” Congresman Boehner is fighting to stop the health care takeover – the same one being pitched by our Governor – that would only make things worse for our communities.
Among its 2,000+ pages, here are just some of the bill’s many egregious provisions. Do these sound like a good deal for Ohio?
>> Big Tax on Hiring Low-Income Workers: Under the Senate bill, “employers faced with the choice of hiring–for the same job at the same pay–say, a single parent of three, and a parent of two with a working spouse (or a teenager with working parents), the employer could face a $3,000 annual penalty for hiring the single parent–and is therefore likely to deny that person the job.” (How the Senate Health Bill Punishes Businesses That Hire Low-Income Workers, Heritage Foundation, 12/3/09)
>> Higher Taxes on Construction Firms: “Construction companies with five or more workers would generally have to provide health insurance or pay a penalty — an excise tax of $750 per employee.” (In Health Bill for Everyone, Provisions for a Few, New York Times, 1/3/10) In Ohio, “construction was down 4,200″ jobs in January. (State jobless in double digits for 10th month, Dayton Daily News, 3/5/10)
>> “Cornhusker Kickback”: Ohio taxpayers will help pick up the tab for Nebraska’s share of new Medicaid spending. “Democratic leaders guaranteed the federal government would pay the full price of expanded Medicaid coverage in Nebraska.” (GOP blasts ‘kickback’ health fix, New York Post, 12/22/09)
>> “Louisiana Purchase”: Ohio taxpayers will also help pick up the tab for Louisiana’s share of new Medicaid spending. “Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, provided one of the last two votes needed to bring the government health care takeover to the Senate. She didn’t even blush about selling her vote. ‘I am not going to be defensive. And it’s not a $100 million fix. It’s a $300 million fix,’ Mrs. Landrieu bragged on Nov. 21. This gross windfall will flood into her state through added benefits in the health care bill. This is government at its worst.” (The $300 million Louisiana purchase, Washington Times, 11/30/09)
>> Federal Funding of Abortion: The Senate bill contains “[a]bortion language that clearly allows federal funding for abortion and which the U.S. Conference of Bishops solidly opposes.” (One Simple Agenda, Galen Institute, 3/4/10) A recent survey of Ohio voters found that “[s]ixty-five percent of respondents oppose provisions for taxpayer funding of abortions included in any reform package.”
>> Jobs-Killing Employer Penalties: “[I]n the Senate bill, any firm with more than 50 full-time employees that did not offer insurance would have to pay a $750 penalty multiplied by the number of full-time employees should even one of those employees choose to rely on a public subsidy to buy individual insurance.” (What Obama’s New Health Care Plan Means for Small Businesses, New York Times, 2/22/10)
These are just some of the reasons Congressman Boehner is fighting to stop this bill and promoting beter soltuions that help create new jobs and lower health care costs for families and small businesses.
READ MORE:
- Boehner on Cunningham: Health Care Takeover Will “Kill the Job Market” (3/4/10)
- Boehner on WLWT: “Why Not Trust the American People?” (3/2/10)
- Boehner in Middletown Talks Health Care, Jobs, & More (3/2/10)
- Boehner at the White House Summit: Americans Want Us to Scrap This Bill (2/25/10)
- “Unconstitutional”: Boehner Blasts Individual Mandate in Democrats’ Health Care Takeover (2/25/10)
Tags: economy, health care, jobs, ohio, small businesses
