The GOP attacked the healthcare reform in two hearings in Congress Wednesday, the Washington Post reports.
In a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, two business owners and an economist testified that the healthcare reform was anti-business because it hurts job creation. Republicans tried to discredit administration economist Austan Goolsbee's assessment that the law would stimulate job growth and help small businesses, Politico reports.
"I hear near unanimous opinion from small-business owners that this healthcare law is going to be devastating for them," Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) said. "Can you explain why the administration's claims are so out of touch with what we are hearing from people who are actually creating jobs?"
Goolsbee counted by saying he "often hear[s] a lot of misunderstanding of what is in the law" and what would apply to small-business owners. He added that a tax credit and cheaper premiums could help millions of business owners.
In another hearing before the House Budget Committee, Chairman Paul Ryan said he thinks the whole healthcare reform law should be thrown out, NPR reports. "We must reject the notion that a centrally planned, bureaucratically run healthcare system can produce more favorable outcomes than the one managed by doctors and patients," he said, echoing his post-State of the Union speech response.
The Republican push to chip away at the healthcare reform may run into obstacles, as a recent survey shows that most Americans oppose defunding the law.
According to Politico, Democrats need to convince the public that the healthcare reform will reduce the deficit over time.
To learn more:
- read the NPR blog
- here's the Politico story
- read the Washington Post story
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