10 Facts Every American Should Know About SpeakerPelosi’s 1,990-Page Gov’t Takeover of Health Care

Members of Congress and the American people are just beginning to look at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of health care, but it’s already becoming clear just how costly and unsustainable this proposal is. From higher taxes onmiddle-class families to job-killing mandates on small businesses to cuts in Medicare benefits for seniors, here are 10 facts every American should know about Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-page government takeover of health care:

1. RAISES TAXES ON MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES

. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill imposes a range of tax increases on families with income below $250,000, breaking a promise made by President Obama. Tax increases on middle class families include: anindividual mandate tax of up to 2.5 percent of income for taxpayers earning as little as$9,350; repeal of a tax break on medicine purchased with funds from an HSA (healthsavings account); limits to tax relief through FSAs (flexible spending accounts); taxes onmedical devices that will inevitably be passed on to consumers; and a new tax on allinsurance policies.

2. MASSIVE CUTS TO MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR SENIORS

. Despite gravewarnings from CBO, FactCheck.org, and the independent Lewin Group that cuts toMedicare of the magnitude included in Speaker Pelosi’s bill would have a negativeimpact on seniors’ benefits and choices, Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill stays the courseand cuts Medicare by hundreds of billions of dollars.

3. NO PROTECTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

. Speaker Pelosi’s health care billclaims to exempt small businesses from the steep eight percent ‘pay or play’ employer mandate. The facts tell a different story. Using Census data compiled by the SmallBusiness Administration, this so-called ‘exemption’ hammers small employers with only,on average, 17 or more employees to new taxes and mandates. The outfits affectedemploy 70 percent of all small business employees, or 42.3 million workers. Adding tothe assault on small businesses, the bill does not index the small business “exemption”amounts, meaning more and more small businesses will be ensnared by this job-killingemployer mandate each year.

4. INCREASES THE COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE

. Imposing a new $2 billiontax on insurance policies will be passed on to patients in the form of higher premiums.Changes to the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit will, according to estimates byCBO, will raise Medicare Part B premiums by $25 billion and Part D premiums by 20 percent. And imposing an unfunded mandate on the states to pay for the bill’s Medicaidexpansion will shift the burden of this expansion on state taxpayers who may experiencetax increases to cover the cost.

5. USES GIMMICKS TO HIDE BUDGET-BUSTING COST, PILES UP DEBT ONFUTURE GENERATIONS

. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill claims to be deficitneutral, but uses budget gimmickry to hide its massive total cost. Working families across