House Passes Healthcare Freedom Act

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, voted for the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act that includes his language to repeal Obamacare’s excise tax on healthcare benefits employers offer their employees last week, according to a statement.

“When this harmful provision finally takes place, millions of Americans will see tax hikes, the loss of their employer benefits or even jobs, as the federal government increases Obamacare penalties,” said Rep. Guinta, Manchester’s former two-term mayor and current member of the House Financial Services Committee.

He said that, since he took office in 2010, constituents in New Hampshire’s First District have been expressing anxiety about the so-called “Cadillac Tax” -- a 40 percent tax on employer-sponsored healthcare benefits – which will take effect in 2018. “Businesses small and large, as well as municipalities across the Granite State, are preparing to drop coverage or workers,” said Rep Guinta. “Especially in this poor economy, neither they nor middle-class families can afford more high costs.”

The reconciliation measure will travel to the President’s desk via an expedited legislative process requiring only a simple Senate majority to pass, avoiding a Democrat filibuster.

“We’re keeping our promise to the millions of people who have lost their insurance policies, or even their jobs, who sent Republicans to Washington to stop the President’s law from harming them further.”

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that coming changes under Obamacare, which Democrats passed on a strict party-line vote, could mean approximately 10 million more Americans lose employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. According to earlier reports, an estimated five million Americans with individual insurance plans lost their insurance when the law first struck.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that Obamacare sign-ups have fallen a striking 10 million short of expectations.

In addition to repeal of the excise tax, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Act includes repeal of other unpopular Obamacare provisions, such as a tax on medical technology, a financial penalty for those who lack insurance, and automatic enrollment for those who fail to re-enroll in Obamacare.

“The idea has always been to funnel unwilling Americans into another bloated, inefficient and ineffective government program that serves mostly Washington bureaucrats,” said the Congressman. “With the freedom to make their own personal choices, Granite Staters will be better able to acquire the quality care they need at a price they can afford.”