Press Releases

During Tuesday’s Education and the Workforce Committee hearing, Republican committee members took Americans’ questions about the implementation of the president’s health care law straight to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) recently solicited questions from North Carolina employers about how the law is affecting their ability to provide workers with quality health insurance. Small business owner Chuck Horne of the family-owned textile company Kenwood Inc. shared his fear that higher costs and additional fees from ObamaCare will ultimately hurt his workers. Watch Rep. Roe raise Mr. Horne’s concerns with Secretary Sebelius below:

Mr. Horne has a business with 350 employees, he’s self-insured, he provides total preventative services if you need a mammogram or whatever he pays for it all. Guess what he gets for this. He gets a $63 per person fee that’s charged to him plus an increase in his taxes. He did everything right in his business, in a textile business which is a tough business…So how do you answer his question, what do you say to Mr. Horne?

In the days leading up to the hearing with Secretary Sebelius, committee Republicans asked social media users to submit their questions about the health care law using the hashtag #AskSebelius. In the video below, Rep. Roby asks Secretary Sebelius to answer a question received from one of her constituents through Facebook: 

Mr. Jason Misseldine of Prattville, Alabama asked the following question that I’d like to ask to you. He says, “My employer has provided excellent insurance coverage for over 30 years. It would definitely be classified a ‘Cadillac plan’. This year we were forced to change coverage. Please tell me how penalizing or taxing companies that provide excellent coverage has anything to do with ensuring everyone has access to affordable health care?” What would you say to Mr. Misseldine?

For more information about the hearing with Secretary Sebelius is available here.

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