Boehner: Drawn out health debate has hurt the economy

The drawn out process to pass health reform legislation has hurt the economy, the top House Republican suggested Wednesday.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that the past year's efforts on healthcare legislation have forced business owners to "sit on their hands" due to uncertainty over what new taxes and regulation they might face.

"It's the policies that are coming out of this administration and liberals here in Congress that are holding back employers," Boehner said during an interview on Fox News. "And until there's some certainty out there in the marketplace...I expect them to continue to sit on their hands."

Democratic leaders' timeline to pass a health bill has been continually extended over the past year. The House and Senate blew past deadlines to pass their bills by the 2009 August recess, then by Thanksgiving, and then by President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Boehner said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) were still seeking ways to pass the bill, nonetheless.

"Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are still scheming and plotting, trying to find someone to pass a massive government takeover of our healthcare system," the top House Republican argued.