WASHINGTON, D.C. – As I've traveled throughout the 23rd District of Texas over the past year and a half, I've consistently heard from constituents about their dislike of the President's health care law and how important it is that it be repealed. That's why I'm proud that one of the first votes I cast in the U.S. House of Representatives was to repeal this law completely. Based on the feedback I've received from constituents of the 23rd District, I know that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the President's health care law is disappointing for families, seniors, and small businesses throughout the district who were looking to the U.S. Supreme Court for relief from the burdens of this law. However, it is important to remember that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling merely affirmed the constitutionality of the law. It did not affirm that it's good for the health care of Americans or our economy.
There is no doubt that we need to reform health care in America. However, I do not believe the President's health care law is the solution. When visiting with Texans in the district about health care, the concerns I hear most frequently about are affordability and accessibility. Yet, the President's health care law really doesn't address these concerns. Instead, it places Washington bureaucrats in charge of your health care by creating 159 boards, bureaucracies, and other government entities to make decisions that should be made by you and your doctor. The President's health care law will also negatively impact the health care of American seniors because of the law's over half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare to pay for itself, which will cause many health care providers to decrease the number of Medicare patients they see.
Not only is the President's health care law bad for the health care of Americans, it is a huge burden on job creators. The law imposes numerous mandates, taxes, and other burdens that have left many businesses unsure about their future health care costs. This uncertainty, in turn, has caused them to hold back on putting money into expanding their businesses and hiring new employees. In fact, almost every job creator I have visited within the 23rd District has cited the President's health care law as one of the top reasons that they are not hiring new employees.
Recommended Videos
I am firmly committed to repealing the President's health care law because I believe that it is wrong for our health care and our economy. I'm pleased that on July 11th, the House of Representatives will once again vote to repeal the President's health care law. It's now up to the people's elected representatives in the U.S. Congress to carry out the will of the American people and repeal the President's health care law in its entirety.
This column was written by U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco.