Claire McCaskill’s Healthcare Law Is Killing Jobs In Missouri
When liberal U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill voted for President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, it didn’t just cut $550 billion from Medicare but also included a slew of job-killing taxes that are crushing small businesses across the Show Me State and America.
The healthcare law contains $500 billion in new taxes, including a harmful tax on the medical device community – that will hit over 1,000 medical device companies in Missouri – and is estimated to kill 45,000 jobs nationwide.
Further, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has stated the healthcare law will kill 800,000 jobs nationwide.
- QUESTION: “In your estimation, the health care law would reduce employment by 800,000…”
- DOUGLAS ELMENDORF, CBO Director: “Yes… there would be a reduction of 800,000 workers.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Budget Committee, Hearing, 2/10/11)
- QUESTION: “The last question is, it’s been argued and was argued here yesterday with the chairman, that the new health care law will create jobs and increase labor force participation. But if I recall from your analysis, it was quite the opposite. Is that not the case?”
- DOUGLAS ELMENDORF, CBO Director: “Yes.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Budget Committee, Hearing, 2/10/11)
“Claire McCaskill’s decision to provide the deciding vote for Barack Obama’s healthcare bill will destroy 800,000 jobs nationwide and it’s crushing small businesses across the Show Me State,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Lance Trover. “With nearly 229,000 unemployed in the state, it’s clear Missouri cannot afford Barack Obama and Claire McCaskill’s job-killing healthcare law.”
BACKGROUND …
The Medical Device Tax Will Kill 45,000 Jobs
BOSTON HERALD: “Boston Scientific’s chief executive yesterday ripped a tax on medical devices slated for 2013 and anticipated major layoffs at the Natick company if the levy — part of President Obama’s health-care overhaul — isn’t repealed. “It’s an outrage. It is soaking one of the last remaining industries in this country that pays (higher-than-average wages),” CEO Ray Elliott said at an industry conference in New York. “We’ve been very clear: We will have a lot less employees, if somebody tags us with a hundred million dollars worth of taxes.” Elliott’s comments came a week after trade group AdvaMed released a study finding that the 2.3 percent federal excise tax would lead to more than 45,000 job losses nationwide…” (Greg Turner, Boston Scientific CEO: Medical tax will mean job cuts, Boston Herald, 09/15/11)
“‘Doctors Aren’t Happy With The Bill,’ Said Randal Trecha, A Spine Specialist. ‘It’s A Disaster, Top To Bottom.’ Critics cited the costs attached to the bill, part of which will be paid for with cuts to Medicare reimbursements that ultimately will cause some doctors to refuse to treat Medicare recipients, Trecha said.” (Janese Heavin, “Blunt Stumps On Health Care,” Columbia Daily Tribune, 4/8/10)
Kansas City Star: “Small Business Owners Understandably Are Nervous About Changes Coming With Health Care Reform.” (Editorial, “Boosting Health Insurance Access,” The Kansas City Star, 9/8/10)
St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank Economist Howard Wall Said “Potential Employee-Related Costs Tied To The Health Care Act” Were Stopping Businesses From Hiring. “Frustrated job-seekers may not want to hear it, but employers have some viable reasons for not posting a ‘help wanted’ sign. . . . As St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank economist Howard Wall pointed out in a story earlier this week, that uncertainty leads to questions about potential employee-related costs tied to the health care act, financial reform and the impact of the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. If those concerns aren’t enough to dampen the urge to bring new talent into the fold, Wall tosses one more misgiving onto the pile. ‘What’s scaring off a lot of employers is the huge amount it costs to hire a worker,’ he said.” (Steve Giegerich, “Hiring Expenses Add Another Hurdle For Job-Seekers,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/30/10)
