WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R) issued the following statement today in response to the passage of H.R. 3590.
“I voted against this legislation for many reasons. It strikes at the very core of our liberties and is a giant step toward wrecking an already fragile economy,” Rep. Johnson said. “This is a regrettable day in the history of this Congress and I want my constituents to know the dire consequences of this bill.
BY THE NUMBERS:
· $569.2 billion in tax increases
· $523.5 billion in Medicare cuts
· $48 billion more for Medicaid Expansion
“The more we learn about this legislation, the worse it is. Payoffs and favors have been passed out like candy to buy passage of a bill nobody completely understands. Even the President’s own chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services said he could not fully analyze the cost of the legislation before the vote.
“The bill contains no language that would prohibit federal funds from being used to fund elective abortions. For the past 35 years, our government has statutorily blocked the use of Federal funds being used for abortions. That is unacceptable!
“The bill projects $17 billion in tax revenue from people who cannot afford to or choose not to comply with the mandate to obtain health insurance, and $52 billion in new taxes on employers that do not provide so-called acceptable or affordable coverage. Obviously that is going to negatively impact employers and employees, especially those least able to pay.
“This bill also for the first time in history applies Medicare taxes to capital gains, dividends and other investment income. This would increase the capital gains tax from 2.9 to 3.8 percent, pushing the top capital gains rate from 15 to 23.8 percent and the top rate for dividends to 43.4 percent in conjunction with tax cuts expiring at the end of this year
“The cuts in senior health care are among the most distressing. This bill basically uses Medicare as a piggy-bank to pay for these new entitlement programs. The cuts in Medicare are so deep even the White House’s own Medicare actuaries predict that providers might end their participation. Most of these cuts will be in reduced cost-sharing that senior citizens receive through Medicare Advantage.
“Reimbursement rates will also be cut for in-patient and out-patient hospital services, long-term care facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice, labs, medical product suppliers and prescription drugs. Citizens in the small towns in the 15th District of Illinois will surely lose many of their doctors.
“Millions of people will be pushed into Medicaid because of this bill, with the expectation that states share in the cost. This is yet another unfunded mandate that states such as Illinois – already $14 billion in debt this year alone and unable to pay its basic obligations – simply cannot afford. The impact on schools, social services, law enforcement, and fiscal soundness is obvious.
“With states already squeezing payments to providers, Medicaid patients will find it harder and harder to find doctors and dentists to treat them. This is already occurring. Nationwide, 28.2 percent of physicians refuse to accept new Medicaid patients, including 9,472 doctors in Illinois. Illinois already has an average wait time of 103 days for Medicaid reimbursement. This will only worsen.
“Veterans too are being penalized in this headlong rush to shove this legislation through. The bill does not protect the health-care programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military’s Tricare system. It does not cover children suffering from spina bifida as a result of a parent’s exposure to Agent Orange, and it does not cover dependents, widows and orphans who are served by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our people serving in the military put their trust in the existence of these plans. Now millions of soldiers, veterans, widows and dependents are in jeopardy.
“Yet another flaw is that this bill leaves in place a marriage penalty. The structure of subsidies for health insurance offers more aid to non-married couples than married ones.
“A lesser-known aspect of this bill is that it will cause the IRS to spend an extra $10 billion in new enforcement resources. According to the House Ways and Means Committee Republicans, the IRS may need to hire as many as 16,000 new agents, auditors and other employees to investigate and collect billions in new taxes and penalties.
“The agency will have the authority to fine individuals up to $2,250 or 2 percent or your income – whichever is greater – for failure to prove you have purchased ‘minimum essential coverage.’
“This legislation expands the reach of government into the most private aspects of our lives. It removes your basic right to elect to purchase insurance or not and to choose the kind of insurance you want. The government will choose it for you, dictate coverage, and if it covers too much, you’ll be taxed.
“More than 150 new agencies, commissions and government offices will be created under this monstrosity, bloating the bureaucracy even more, and all to be overseen by 13 more ‘czars’ – unelected, highly paid bureaucrats whose reason for being is to control your health care and your life.
“Health care expansion continues an ongoing theme under this Leadership. They have built a legacy of government intrusion, entitlement and public debt that flies in the face of personal responsibility and constitutional principles of limited government. It is clear that this administration and the majority in Congress have no regard for the will of the American people. The evolution of statism in this nation is truly horrifying. It is also a call to action. Using our right to vote, November cannot come soon enough.”
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