Last week, I held a video town hall through my website that focused primarily on the national health care debate and expected consideration of comprehensive reform legislation.  During this event, I raised my concerns with the proposed public option and employer mandates, in addition to taking questions on these issues.

One question that was asked by several participants is whether or not undocumented immigrants are eligible to participate in the public option or the insurance exchange created under the legislation.  In response to this recurring question, undocumented immigrants are restricted from participating in these insurance networks.  Still, I will be working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to ensure this provision is included in any version of health care reform legislation that moves forward.  

Several participants also raised concerns about the costs associated with this proposal and the exposure it creates for taxpayers and businesses everywhere, including those in San Diego.  I share these same concerns and believe that we can provide every American affordable access to quality health care coverage without driving up costs for working families and small businesses.  Unfortunately, the health care overhaul being pushed forward in Congress right now significantly increases taxpayer liability and compounds our national debt well beyond current levels.   

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that health care reform costs will exceed $1 trillion over ten years and then increase at least 6 percent each following year.  CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf reiterated his concerns with this proposal and our nation’s projected budget outlook in a recent website posting, saying “the federal budget is on an unsustainable path.”   In testimony before the Senate the very next day, Director Elmendorf warned lawmakers that the health care reform proposal currently under consideration lacks the necessary spending controls, according to published reports.    

While I believe health care reform is necessary, we must ensure that any reform proposal accomplishes our shared goal of providing Americans access to quality health insurance without creating an even more uncertain economic future.  I emphasized this concern during last week’s town hall event and also during consideration of the reform proposal by the House Education and Labor Committee.  A video link to my opening statement is available by clicking here.  

Another point of concern for me and other lawmakers on the House Education and Labor Committee was the impact this legislation would likely have on small businesses nationwide, particularly in a fragile economy.  The legislation includes several employer mandates, requiring business to provide employee health benefits or incur a tax penalty equal to 8 percent of annual payroll.  Given the costs associated with providing these benefits, many small businesses would be faced with the unfortunate decision to either lay off workers, significantly reduce inventory or, even worse, close their doors altogether.  Independent estimates project that as many as 4 million jobs would be lost under this proposal.

For this reason, I offered an amendment that provides small businesses an opportunity for relief.  My amendment, which was accepted unanimously by the Education and Labor Committee, exempts businesses from employer mandates if the Department of Labor determines that compliance would result in job loss or economic hardship.  Click here to read a transcript of my remarks about the importance of this amendment.

The full House is expected to consider health care reform legislation in the coming weeks.  As this legislation advances, I encourage you to contact me through my website and provide me with your thoughts.  I also will continue sending regular electronic updates on this and other important issues under discussion in Congress, as well as announcements of my next video and teletown hall events.  

Also, if you participated in last week’s town hall and submitted a question via email through the electronic forum, please resubmit your question through my website.  Unfortunately, the technology did not support electronic questions through the email link on the screen.  I apologize for this inconvenience and have been informed by the vendor that this issue has been corrected in preparation for the next event.