[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            OBAMACARE IS DISASTROUS LAW FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen). The Chair recognizes the 
gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to actually agree with 
President Obama that his signature health care law is indeed much more 
than a Web site riddled with technical glitches. Just ask any 
hardworking family in the Second District of Missouri who have seen 
their premiums skyrocket, wages decreased, insurance coverage canceled 
of late, and hours cut back at work. The simple truth is the 
President's Web site is just a sign of what is to come: ObamaCare is a 
disastrous law for the American people.
  One of the most valuable lessons that I have learned over the last 9 
months as a new Member of Congress is that more government is never the 
answer to the problems facing our Nation. ObamaCare makes the real 
problem of health care costs worse. ObamaCare has made offering health 
care for small business worse. ObamaCare raises premiums, destroys the 
doctor-patient relationship, and makes the quality of our health care 
worse.
  When President Obama promised the American people in 2009: ``If you 
like your health care plan, you can keep it,'' well, we now know that 
this claim was a blatant falsehood.
  Time and time again, the President has only offered broken promises 
to the American people. President Obama recently spoke in the Rose 
Garden about who is benefiting from government-run health care; yet he 
failed to talk about the millions of Americans who are suffering from 
it.
  I would like to take a moment to talk about a small business owner 
from Missouri's Second District who is facing the harsh realities of 
ObamaCare. Jenn is the owner of Cotton Babies, a small business that 
makes high-quality diapers for consumers all over the world. As a 
result of ObamaCare, her premiums are projected to double, not only 
putting her livelihood in jeopardy, but her employees' as well. Now 
Jenn is facing a difficult business decision regarding the employment 
opportunities and the price of her products going forward.

                              {time}  1130

  Jenn wrote to me recently and said:

       We can't afford the change in health care premiums. We 
     manufacture in the USA. We collectively cause the employment 
     of thousands all over the United States. Hundreds of small 
     retailers depend on my brands for revenue. We make American-
     made cloth diaper brands that help families who literally 
     choose between diapers and food.

  Jenn later went on to say:

       I believe in affordable health care. I believe in taking 
     care of the needy. We provide great health care insurance to 
     our staff. We pay for 70 percent of the premium for the staff 
     members and their entire family. We operate on microscopic 
     margins and have valued taking care of our employees over 
     taking a profit. I simply don't know how we, as a small 
     business, are going to be able to shoulder the load with 
     these changes.

  Madam Speaker and ladies and gentlemen, this is just one of the many 
examples of real people being hurt by ObamaCare. It is time we realize 
that no matter how many tech experts President Obama hires to fix his 
$600 million-plus taxpayer-paid Web site, it will never stop ObamaCare 
from hurting the American people.
  As your Representative, I will never stop fighting until ObamaCare is 
replaced with free market-based solutions that expand access without 
destroying our economy and lowering the quality of care.

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