OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS’ PREDATORY HEALTH CARE TAX INCREASE WILL

INCREASE BUREAUCRACY, INCREASE COSTS OF CARE

SALEM— Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass), Vice Chair of the House Health Care Committee, had the following to say regarding the Democrats’ tax increases on health care:

“As Oregonians lose health insurance, the Democrats’ response is to raise taxes and increase the costs of health care. Putting bureaucrats between Oregonians and their doctors is not the answer to improving health care or reducing costs. This predatory tax increase was developed by Democrats in Capitol backrooms without public input.

“We continue to believe Oregon voters should decide whether raising taxes and creating more bureaucracy are the right solutions for our health care system.

“The real losers from the Democrats’ predatory premium tax of 1 percent of gross premiums are the employees of small to medium sized businesses, who are the very people most likely to lose their coverage because of the rapidly rising costs of health insurance. Oregon is following the failed footsteps of Massachusetts by attempting to cover its citizens before reducing the costs of health care.

“House Republicans have proposed health care reforms to make insurance more affordable, give more decision-making power to doctors and patients, and reduce government bureaucracy and overhead.”

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