WASHINGTON (17 July)  – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement regarding Florida’s unemployment rate as it continued its upward trend, with the seasonally adjusted rate for June hitting 10.6 percent:

“At a time when Floridians are facing double digit unemployment for the first time in decades, Congress should not be pushing through a government takeover of health care that will be paid for by a tax hike on small businesses. Simply put, the proposed plan places a stifling new tax of up to 5.4 percent on small businesses.  In a recession nearing double-digit unemployment nationally, this misguided health care experiment will discourage job growth and creation, leading to even higher unemployment.

“While I agree that we need to take action to make health care more affordable for all Americans, I don’t believe that we should replace our current system entirely and put the government in control of the nation’s health care. Instead, we should embark on responsible reform that addresses the shortcomings of the current system while bringing health care costs under control. Specifically, we can start reducing costs through encouraging preventative care to treat conditions before they become more serious and costly, and passing meaningful medical liability reform to keep prices down while eliminating waste and fraud in the federal health care system. In addition, we can strengthen associated health care plans to allow more groups to pool risk so they can join together and provide affordable heath coverage while increasing transparency in pricing so people can more accurately comparison shop.”  

“Reform should be about establishing a framework to improve people's purchasing power and access to quality care, not more government bureaucracy.”