Published: November 03, 2009 10:15 pm      

Mammoth bill delivered to Jacksonville

Special to the Daily Progress



U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Athens, sent a copy of the 1,990-page healthcare bill (H.R. 3962) to the Jacksonville Public Library.

Hensarling sent copies of the bill the several libraries in the Fifth Congressional District. The U.S. House of Representatives will likely vote on H.R. 3962 later this week, according to his office.

“Last week, Speaker Pelosi introduced a 1,990-page government takeover of your health care that will cost taxpayers $1.3 trillion. I think it is important that East Texans clearly understand the consequences of such a takeover: Little or no healthcare choice, decreased quality, longer wait times, higher taxes and 111 new federal programs. That is why I am providing the legislation to libraries and making it available on my Web site for you to read should you choose to do so,” Hensarling said.

He said he opposes the bill in its current form.

“As currently drafted, the legislation is full of provisions which I believe that families and small business owners throughout the Fifth District should know about before making up their minds about this legislation,” Hensarling said.

Specifically, he said, the bill will cost taxpayers $1.3 trillion over 10 years, imposes $729.5 billion in total tax increases on the American people, creates 111 new federal programs, and cuts the Medicare Advantage program by at least $150 billion. It also hits small businesses especially hard by imposing an 8 percent tax on the payroll of employers who do not purchase federal bureaucrat-approved health care for their employees, raises serious constitutional questions by imposing a 2.5 percent tax on individuals who do not purchase federal bureaucrat-approved health insurance, and bans the sale of private individual health insurance policies after 2013, requiring individual health insurance to be purchased through the federal government.

“I want to ensure that you and your doctor make the decisions about your health care, not a government or insurance company bureaucrat. You and your family should be able to get the health care you need, when you need it, and at a price you can afford. H.R. 3962 does not meet that test,” Hensarling said.