Posted by James Sensenbrenner, Jr on August 15, 2009, 6:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Health Care: What the Medical Profession thinks"
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House Health Care Legislation is Bad Medicine
I’m in favor of health care reform, but the legislation the House Democrats are proposing is a complete upheaval, with the long-term costs and consequences being a huge cause for concern. This is why I, along with so many of my colleagues, will not be supporting it in its current form.
I thought I’d use this week’s column to answer a couple of questions I’m frequently asked about health care.
Why am I opposed to the health care legislation?
Apart from what’s mentioned above, this legislation would make costs go up for everyone. With a public plan option, many will lose their current health insurance, despite the promise that “if you like it, you can keep your health insurance,” and fewer choices will be available. This will also cause many small businesses to pay higher taxes.
As we consider health care reform, I believe any legislation should meet four key principles:
1) No bureaucrat should get between you and your doctor.
2) Any new program must not create a delay in you receiving care.
3) You should be allowed to keep and maintain your current benefits.
4) We need to know how much we’re spending and how to pay for it.
The current legislation raises red flags on all four of these principles. Additionally, the development of this legislation was not a group effort where everyone was invited to provide input.
Why don’t Republicans offer a health care plan?
After Republicans were shut out of the health care discussion, we developed our own plan and submitted it, however, since the agenda is controlled by Democrats, it is unlikely the plan will make it on the legislative agenda. Republicans agree that health care is too expensive and needs to be more affordable, which is why the Republican plan expands access to affordable health care and gives families the freedom to choose the health care that fits their needs – without imposing a tax hike on small businesses and working families. You can read more about the plan here.
The bottom line is that this legislation is just bad medicine that will make our health care system sicker – and if it becomes law, it will be nearly impossible for us to recover.
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