| June 22, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink Despite
the Administration’s pledge that its government takeover of health care
will be “deficit neutral” – meaning Democrats will either raise taxes
or cut benefits by at least a trillion dollars – columns in both the New York Times and Washington Post
today raised the possibility that the massive government takeover will
add even more red ink to the already-staggering federal debt. That
means that after the trillion-dollar “stimulus” bill that still isn’t
creating jobs, the half-trillion omnibus with nearly 9,000 earmarks,
and a budget that already includes trillion-dollar deficits as far as
the eye can see, Democrats intend to borrow even more money from China
and the Middle East and pass the bill to our kids and grandkids. In an op-ed entitled, “Prognosis: Debt” Washington Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt writes: | “If
you listened to President Obama addressing the American Medical
Association last week, you might think that the primary purpose of
health-care reform is, as he said, ‘to control the spiraling cost of
health care in America…’” “Yet extending coverage is
overwhelmingly the focus of congressional attention so far, and it is
quite likely that any legislation that emerges will create a hugely
expensive health-care entitlement with no guarantee of the upward cost
spiral being slowed.” | In a New York Times op-ed, “Tossing and Turning Over the Federal Deficit,” John Harwood raised similar concerns: | “Mr.
Obama insists he will act to narrow the long-term deficit once the
economy recovers. But neither the president nor his budget director can
be sure that their principal strategies, which involve curbing rising
health care costs, will work.” | On
Friday, House Democratic Leaders introduced a “health care plan”
without even an estimate of how much it will cost, let alone how they
will pay for it, leaving the American people to wonder how serious
Congressional Democrats are about keeping the President’s pledge. The
American people don’t want a government takeover of health care that
will raise taxes, ration care, and swell our already-staggering debt.
Both parties need to work together to craft a plan that will control
costs and fix what’s broken in American health care. House Republicans
stand ready to do just that and have offered a better health care
reform solution that will: - Make quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American, regardless of pre-existing health conditions.
- Protect
Americans from being forced into a new government-run health care plan
that would eliminate the health care coverage that more than 100
million Americans currently receive through their job.
- Let
Americans who like their health care coverage keep it, and give all
Americans the freedom to choose the health plan that best meets their
needs.
- Ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats.
- Improve
Americans’ lives through effective prevention, wellness, and disease
management programs, while developing new treatments and cures for
life-threatening diseases.
Let’s be clear: America
can’t afford the Democrats’ government takeover of health care. Under
the Democratic plan, millions of Americans will lose their health
coverage, their doctors, and their jobs. Americans deserve better, and
Republicans are offering a better plan to reduce costs, expand access,
and improve the quality of care. Will Democrats continue their
go-it-alone approach and pass their costly government takeover of
health care? Or will they finally work with Republicans on a
bipartisan plan to make health care more affordable and accessible
without burying future generations under mountains of debt we know they
cannot afford? |
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