The small business surtax would devastate small businesses already struggling with a severe recession. This surtax would hit those who create jobs especially hard because more than six of every 10 affected are small business owners, who have led America out of the last seven recessions and create two out of every three jobs during a recovery.

Other problematic provisions include the public plan, which would be an unfair competitor, ultimately shifting costs to the private sector as it becomes big enough to drive down reimbursements to doctors and hospitals.
Consumers would then flock to the public plan because its premiums would be cheaper, and ultimately no viable private plans would remain.

Also, any mandate to employers that requires them to offer a one-size-fits-all "minimum benefits package" to all their employees is the wrong idea. The solution isn't to force people to buy into an unaffordable system; the solution is to improve the quality and affordability of health care through market-based changes. Employer mandates, by their nature, limit flexibility and innovation: the foundation of voluntary employer provided health care.

This legislation will not address the nation's health cost explosion; will steeply hike taxes in an already precarious economic situation; will fail to lead to more affordable, accessible, quality health coverage; and will lead us toward government-run health care.

In short, it will make a bad situation worse, at great costs to the nation in jobs, taxes and freedom.
I strongly urge you to oppose any legislation that favors a government-run, public health care plan.