There is no question that Americans want and need real health care reform. Too many American families do not have, or struggle to afford, health insurance. That is why I am working with Republicans and Democrats to produce common-sense health care reforms that will lower costs and make health care accessible to more Americans. But, as Congress works to solve this complicated problem we should follow the same oath as a doctor, "First, do no harm."
Unfortunately, the bill approved Friday night by the Energy and Commerce Committee will do harm and it also broke a crucial promise of President Obama. Under this bill, if you like your health plan, you are almost certainly not going to be able to keep it. More than 100 million Americans with health insurance through their employers will be forced onto a government plan. Over 10 million seniors could lose their high-quality Medicare Advantage plans. Over 8 million Americans with Health Savings Accounts will surely see their plans outlawed by the Federal government. The bill will even ban most private insurance plans within five years unless it is a government-approved plan.
Worse, this legislation hurts seniors by cutting more than $400 billion from critical Medicare benefits including hospitals, home health services, nursing homes and hospice. It also gives government bureaucrats the authority to come between you and your doctor. I offered common sense amendments to protect seniors and patients, but my amendments were rejected by the Democrat majority.
I hope that over the August recess the American people will have a chance to actually read what is in this bill. What they will find is an unprecedented government takeover of American health care that will do nothing to improve access to high quality, affordable care. I believe Congress should start from scratch in the fall and use American innovation and ingenuity to come up with a real solution that lowers costs for everyone and provides assistance to the truly uninsured. Personally, I wish that the Republican's would offer up an alternative if this one is so distasteful, instead of just sitting around telling everyone how bad the purposed bill is... Trust me, come 2010 what they are doing now will be seen as nothing short of inadequate!
