Friday, July 31, 2009

Foxx Cosponsors Healthcare Reform Legislation

The following is a July 28 press release from NC Congresswomen Virginia Foxx. I am proud to have her represent me in Washington!!

Foxx cosponsors healthcare reform legislation
Bill expands access to health insurance with tax credits, aid to states

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC05) today cosponsored the Improving Health Care for All Americans Act (H.R. 3218) a bill that will dramatically expand Americans’ access to health insurance.

“Our healthcare system is in need of reform,” Foxx said. “This legislation addresses the serious gaps in health insurance coverage that exist for many families. By creating tax credits for uninsured families and new Individual Membership Associations Congress will help make healthcare more affordable and portable.

“Congress can reform healthcare and make health insurance more affordable—and we can do it without a government takeover of healthcare. This bill makes that much clear. It focuses on preserving the patient-doctor relationship while removing barriers to affordable health insurance and keeping Washington bureaucrats out of the equation.”

H.R. 3218 helps uninsured families get coverage through three different policy changes:
First, it creates a health insurance tax credit of up to $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.
It also expands insurance options and access to health insurance by creating Individual Membership Associations (IMAs). IMAs would expand insurance coverage by allowing groups like trade associations, churches and other civic groups to offer affordable insurance to their members.
Finally, H.R. 3218 provides federal incentives for states to create high risk insurance pools for Americans who have difficulty securing health insurance.

Note: Foxx is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2607 which expands access to coverage for uninsured families by creating Associated Health Plans; H.R. 1118 which gives seniors more choices and control over Medicare enrollment; H.R. 1039 which promotes health information technology; H.R. 1086 which seeks to reduce healthcare costs through tort reform; and H.R. 2516 which lowers costs through a bevy of healthcare reforms.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Congresswoman Foxx Press Release On Healthcare Bill

The following is from a press release from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

Foxx pledges not to vote for healthcare bill she hasn’t read
Repeats promise to oppose bill that subsidizes or mandates abortion

Washington, DC—Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) promised today that she would not vote for any healthcare reform bill that she had not read and that had not been publicly available for at least 72 hours.

“Americans’ healthcare is much too important for Congress to pass legislation in a blind rush or under the cloak of secrecy. I promise that I will not support any legislation that the American people have not had an opportunity to review and weigh in on.

“I also promise that under no circumstances will I vote for a bill that does not specifically forbid taxpayer funded abortion or that mandates insurance coverage of abortion. Taxpayer funded abortion is a profound offense to the conscience of millions and millions of Americans and such policies have no place in a healthcare reform bill.”

Yesterday, House Democrats unveiled a healthcare overhaul bill that will cost more than $1 trillion. The bill imposes a 2.5 percent tax on everyone who does not obtain health coverage through their employer or does not purchase government-approved insurance policies.

The bill also levies a tax on small businesses that cannot afford to offer health insurance to their employees. Additionally, more than half of the bill’s $1 trillion price tag will be paid by so-called “high income tax filers.” As a result of this tax hike hundreds of thousands of small businesses will see a significantly higher tax burden.

“This legislation is going to harm the single largest source of job creation in America—small businesses,” Foxx said. “Small businesses are the engine of economic growth and it makes no sense to penalize the sector of our economy that offers the best hope for a swift economic recovery.”

Note: According to a Wall Street Journal story today, “businesses with between five and nine workers, representing about one million employers, had an average payroll of around $375,000 a year. A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only about half of firms with three to nine workers offered health benefits in 2008.” Under the House Democrats’ healthcare bill about half of these small businesses would pay a new tax on their total payrolls if they did not start to offer health insurance.