As New York City Majority rammed through a proposal in the Assembly this week to virtually eliminate the private health insurance market in New York and place healthcare under the purview of the government, Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) stood with Long Island families against massive tax hikes and job-killing business regulations.

“This is certainly a case of déjà vu,” McDonough said. “When former President Obama promised that residents could keep their same doctor, same health plan and pay lower premiums under Obamacare we knew it was a farce, and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried’s (D-Manhattan) comments defending this bill are far too eerily similar to the broken promises of President Obama.”

Under the single-payer healthcare proposal, all residents would be required to pay onerous taxes to fund the program whether they purchased healthcare through the state or not, and the program is estimated to nearly double the New York State budget. The plan also runs the risk of Albany bureaucrats and lawmakers being given the power to make important decisions about an individual’s health.

“It seems as if those from New York City are content with higher and higher taxes but the residents that I represent are not,” said McDonough. “Do Assembly Majority think we are foolish enough to believe government-run healthcare will ever work? Obamacare is collapsing by the day and we are all paying for it. What we need are better paying jobs and to empower businesses to offer benefits like healthcare to their employees. That starts with a friendlier business environment and lower taxes.”