Christopher Shays: “We have to draft legislation that we think is as accurate as can be, and then we present it to those who would be…”

“We have to draft legislation that we think is as accurate as can be, and then we present it to those who would be impacted: Employers, government individuals, and say tell us how it impacts your life. I have committee meetings, and I had individuals say, well, for a period of time I lost my job. This plan would have meant I would have had health care. I had someone else who said, you know, I had a condition. I was insured. I couldn't hold my COBRA. I couldn't keep my insurance for a while. It stopped. And then I got insurance later and they said, you had a preexisting condition, and they weren't covered. I had business men and women who said, I only have five people in my office, and we're paying an exorbitant amount. I mean, under our legislation, someone who had less than 10 would be paying, if their salary was $21,000, 4 percent of payroll. If their salary was 83, they would be paying 6 percent of payroll, far less than what they're paying now, far less. And so, it's a debate that we need to have.”