| August 14, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink
In the two weeks since House Democrats passed health care legislation
through three key committees and headed out of town for the August
recess, they have gotten an earful from American citizens concerned
that their plan amounts to a big government takeover of health care
that will raise costs, ration care, and put bureaucrats in charge of decisions that should be made by patients and doctors.
Now, a detailed analysis of the Democrats’ bill shows that the American
peoples’ fears are well-founded. House Republican Leader Boehner made
the following comment in response:
| “As
we’re seeing again and again across the country, the more the American
people learn about this plan, the less they like it. Democrats, led by
President Obama, need to scrap this job-killing government takeover of
health care and work with Republicans to address the biggest concern of
middle class families: lowering health care costs.” |
Despite what President Obama and congressional Democrats say, their
bill would increase health care costs rather than lower them by pushing
a government takeover of health care. Here are just a few examples how:
- Pages 116-118; Section. 221
– Requires the Secretary to establish a government run plan that is
supposed to play by the same rules as private plans in the exchange.
The bill, however, requires the government to set the benefits of all
of the plans, including its own, creating an implicit unlevel playing
field by allowing the government to set rules for itself.
- Page 120, lines 4-21; Section. 222
– Gives $2 billion and as much money as is needed to pay claims for 90
days from the Treasury to the government plan. While it requires the
government run plan to repay the money, it only requires the plan to
repay the money over ten years – and without any interest payments.
This gives the public plan an enormous capital advantage over private
plans.
- Page 124, lines 24-25; Section. 223 – This
section shelters the government plan from any administrative or
judicial review of any payment rate or methodology it uses. No company
can sue the government for price fixing.
- Page 118, lines 14-22; Division A, Section 221(g)
– Unlike private insurance plans, who can be sued in state courts, the
government-run plan could only be sued in federal court. This affords
the government plan significant advantage over the plans it is supposed
to “compete” against.
- Pages 41-47; Division A, Sections 141 and 143
– House Democrats would establish a new government-run “Exchange,”
through which a new government-run plan would offer coverage alongside
private plans. The Exchange would be run by a new “Health Choices
Commissioner,” who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the
Senate. As the Commissioner is serving at the pleasure of the
President, some may be concerned about the lack of independence of this
individual. The Commissioner would also be required to work with the
Secretary of HHS, creating the potential for a serious conflict of
interest that could significantly disadvantage the private health plans
where more than 170 million Americans currently receive their health
coverage.
This is not what the American people want, and not what they need. With polls showing the depth of the American peoples’ frustration with out-of-touch Washington Democrats, what will it take for them to work with Republicans on real bipartisan reforms? |
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