BIPARTISAN PETITION FOR A TIMEOUT ON HEALTH REFORM

We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass and the President to sign into law a one-year timeout on the President's health reform bill.

Some people want the health care law repealed, some want it fixed or expanded, and some want it implemented just as it was written. But all of us agree that the law is not ready for prime time.

Already there have been politically selective waivers, exemptions, and delays of parts of this law; in fact, half of the legal deadlines have not been met. Unions are being forced to seek waivers or face changing their current health care plans, a key part of many benefit packages. Businesses are reported to be scaling back workers' hours, not making new hires, and dropping insurance coverage due to higher costs and concerns about complying with the new law. State-level leaders in charge of implementation of part of the law, like the chief executive of Connecticut's state exchange, are saying, "I wish we had one more year."

It's clear that the Administration needs more time to prepare or to reconsider certain aspects of the law. Given that President Obama will oppose any effort to repeal or defund the law, and Republicans in Congress don't believe the law can be fixed, the only solution — for both sides — is a timeout.

We know that, working together, we can improve American health care. But we shouldn't allow politics to rush us into a system that is not ready. We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass and President Obama to sign a one-year timeout on health reform.