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Lottery ticket better odds
for health care than majority party bill
Small business employers
looking to provide affordable health care would have better luck buying
lottery tickets for their employees than trying to get them on a
proposed new government-subsidized health care program,
Rep. Mike
Armstrong said Wednesday.
House Bill 2572 would expand government-subsidized health care for
low-income employees of small businesses, but does not provide
components that would lower the cost of health insurance plans for those
businesses. The measure passed the House Wednesday, 57-41.
Armstrong, who voted against the bill, said the measure does nothing to
help small business.
"This measure would help only 2,000 out of 600,000 people who need
health insurance coverage. That is .003 percent – three one-thousands of
a percent who would be helped by this bill," said Armstrong,
R-Wenatchee. "We would be better advised to tell our small businesses in
this state to go out and buy lottery tickets and fund their health care
that way than we would be to tell them to try to get onto this program.
Their employees have little chance of ever getting on this program. They
have better odds winning the lottery."
Armstrong, Deputy Republican Leader, said Republicans were shut out of
the process and were not allowed to move forward legislation that would
offer meaningful alternatives that could bring down the cost of health
care to affordable levels for small businesses.
"We started this session talking about working together in a bipartisan
manner on important issues. Health care is one of the important issues
we decided we needed to work on together. Look at this bill and see how
bipartisan it is. In fact, it is not. There aren’t any Republicans
sponsoring the bill," noted Armstrong. "If there was a bill out there to
help business in a meaningful way, Republicans would be engaged."
Armstrong said the measure offers welfare to employees and takes another
step forward toward socialized, government-run health care. It does not
offer solutions, however, for small businesses seeking to purchase
affordable private health insurance.
"How does this help small business?" asked Armstrong. "Let’s do
something that will sufficiently address the problem for the small
businesses of this state. That’s all we ask. And when we do it, I
guarantee that when you look at that bill, you’ll actually see
Republicans as sponsors. Because we’re interested in providing
meaningful solutions for small businesses.
"For now, I’m voting no," said Armstrong. "And I will be telling my
small businesses to go out and buy lottery tickets. That will be the
best way to fund health care, because the Legislature apparently is not
interested in helping you."
The measure was sent to the Senate for further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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