Speaker Pelosi's Overhaul by the Numbers

Last week, House Democrats introduced H.R. 3962, their new version of a health care system overhaul.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has since scored the costs in the bill, and the numbers are truly staggering.

The bill has ballooned to 1,990 pages, which is nearly a thousand pages longer than the original proposal introduced in July.  According to CBO figures, it contains $1.055 trillion in new federal spending and $729.5 billion in new taxes on small businesses, individuals and employers.  Even a model developed by President Obama’s own economic advisors, reveals the bill’s potential price tag of 5.5 million lost jobs due to this excessive taxation.  In addition, H.R. 3962 creates or expands 43 different entitlement programs through the establishment of 111 new offices, commissions, programs and bureaucracies.  Lastly, a study conducted by the nonpartisan Lewin Group demonstrates that up to 114 million Americans could lose their current coverage should the bill become law.

Americans want to see a common-sense, responsible approach to reforming our nation’s health care system, and I could not agree more.  I have outlined seven solutions to increase health care accessibility and lower costs.  To view my Seven Solutions Plan for health care, I encourage you to visit my Web site at http://hoekstra.house.gov/healthcare.