[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11870]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            AFFORDABLE CARE ACT--FISCAL CALAMITY IN WAITING

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, almost a month after the Supreme Court has 
issued its decision on the so-called Affordable Care Act, we have all 
had time to think and dissect their opinion and start to predict how 
this landmark ruling will affect each and every one of us.
  I respect the role of the Court and the decision of the Justices, but 
I can't help but tell you I was disappointed the entire law was upheld. 
I do believe the Affordable Care Act is detrimental to our Nation. 
Certainly it has been a wet blanket on our economy, and it is a real 
threat to the future of medicine in America. Since the passing of the 
law over 2 years ago, we have seen the strain it has placed on our 
economy. The pricetag continues to increase, sometimes staggeringly so. 
There are provisions which discourage small businesses from hiring, not 
to mention the commensurate government regulations.
  Today, the Congressional Health Care Caucus held a panel discussion 
on what was one of its many panel discussions on the current state of 
health care. Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of 
America's Health Insurance Plans, has said that the health care law 
won't work unless it is changed or delayed. I couldn't agree more. Dan 
Danner from the National Federation of Independent Businesses was also 
present, and he said there has got to be a way to get price signals to 
people so they can participate in the cost of their care.
  The structure of this law, through the combination of new fees 
coupled with weak penalties for those who choose to not purchase will 
force the young and healthy to shoulder the majority of the financial 
burden of expansion. Mr. Speaker, we must do away with this thing.

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