Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 362,000 members of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 4903. Introduced by Representative Michele Bachmann, this bill would repeal the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Last Sunday, March 21, House leaders went against the wishes of the people and enacted budget-busting health care legislation that will increase the size and scope of government in an unprecedented manner. A $2.5 trillion health care bill, complete with mammoth tax hikes and mounds of restrictive regulations, is NOT real reform and will do little to lower costs and improve quality of care.
Even more concerning than the legislation itself were the unseemly tactics used to ensure its passage. Special “deals,” including earmarks and threats, to help influence fence-sitting Members contributed to the rising disapproval that an already cynical American electorate has toward Congress. Furthermore, 2,000+ pages of text and hidden taxes and fees made transparency nearly impossible. One example of a hidden tax in the heath care bill is an increase in the Hospital Insurance (HI) payroll tax, which is NOT indexed for inflation. While the tax is not intended to hit a household with $175,000 of wage or self-employment income, that same household would reach $257,000 of HI-taxable income in 10 years at a 3.9 percent annual rate (the projected Average Wage Index growth used by Social Security’s and Medicare’s actuaries). Thus, in less than a decade, “bracket creep” could inflict serious pain on millions of Americans. Despite President Obama’s oft-repeated promise, this and several other parts of the bill will without doubt impact those making less than $250,000 a year.For the sake of America's overburdened taxpayers, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act must be repealed. Representative Bachmann can file a discharge petition once H.R. 4903 obtains 100 cosponsors, so I urge you to act quickly! We simply cannot afford to wait. Roll call votes on H.R. 4903 and any other efforts to repeal the health care bill will be significantly weighted in our annual Rating of Congress.
Sincerely,
Jordan Forbes
Federal Government Affairs Manager