Topeka ? Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer is blaming economic problems in Kansas and the nation on the Affordable Care Act.

In prepared remarks that were to be delivered Wednesday before Congress, Colyer, a Republican, criticized the ACA and President Barack Obama.

“The inability of the Administration to project clearly and articulately how the law will affect small businesses is resulting in economic stagnation,” he said.

“Businesses are scared to invest in jobs, they’re scared to invest in expansion, and they’re scared to invest in Kansas’ future. This is damaging to everyone, but felt most directly by the middle class.

“The effect of the Affordable Care Act on the economy is like ice on the wing of an airplane preventing it from taking off,” Colyer said.

His remarks were prepared for the Joint Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs and Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements.

Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project, said blaming the ACA for the current economy was off the mark. He said the economy is still recovering from the recession that started before the law was passed. The Health Reform Resource Project is funded by foundations to provide help in implementing the ACA.

Colyer, a physician, also said Kansans will see rate hikes when online health insurance marketplaces start Oct. 1.

He said the insureks.org website shows that a 25-year old uninsured male in Douglas County with an income of $30,000 per year will have a premium of $163 per month.

“A similar search on ehealthinsurance.com indicates this same young man could obtain insurance for $43 per month today with the option of choosing a higher cost plan should he want,” Colyer said.

Weisgrau said Colyer was making a false comparison between policies on the health marketplace and ehealthinsurance.com.

The health policy required under the ACA has a more comprehensive set of benefits, Weisgrau said.

And, he said, on ehealthinsurance.com, a significant number of people aren’t able to get a plan for the price they are quoted because they have pre-existing conditions.