[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HEALTH CARE AND THE ECONOMY

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, the two most pressing issues that our 
constituents want us to tackle are health care and the economy.
  Last week, I convened a number of roundtables in my district with a 
variety of business leaders in order to discuss the economy and jobs. 
Health care costs were, as I expected, a top concern for all of them, 
and that's why I was proud to report that our health reform legislation 
will benefit them.
  Our health reform bill will allow small business to add an estimated 
80,000 new jobs because we are going to be lowering the cost of health 
insurance premiums. It is pretty simple: less money spent on health 
insurance premiums means the ability to hire new workers and to have 
salary increases for existing employees. Contrast that with the other 
side, which is to preserve the status quo: letting insurance premiums 
continue to rise and to cause further job loss.
  We must enact meaningful health reform now in order to reduce health 
insurance costs, to protect jobs, and to enable small business growth.

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