[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6901-S6902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. McCain. Mr. President, today, the HELP Committee will meet to 
discuss another new government program that seeks to promote prevention 
and wellness. While prevention and wellness are important and can lead 
to lower overall health care costs, we already have several programs 
focused on prevention and wellness.
  The HHS Fiscal year 2010 budget request for prevention is $700 
million. In the recent omnibus approps bill there were $22 million 
worth of earmarks for legislators' pet projects for prevention and 
wellness, and $310.5 million worth of earmarks under the Health 
Resources and Services Administration. Yet the health care bill 
proposed by the majority includes $80 billion new spending on new 
prevention programs without even acknowledging the existing programs or 
suggesting improvements to them. In other words, wellness and fitness 
has become another trough to put both feet in for earmarks and pet 
projects of members.

[[Page S6902]]

  We already have $1.8 trillion in Federal debt. Yet the majority keeps 
on spending on new government programs that intervene in the markets 
and our personal lives. Where will it stop?
  The Center for Disease Control has devised programs focused on weight 
loss and obesity, smoking and tobacco, drinking and alcohol, injury and 
accident prevention. These programs receive hundreds of millions of 
taxpayer dollars each year. But the health reform bill being considered 
by the HELP Committee adds billions more for prevention on top of these 
programs.
  This reckless spending by the majority is irresponsible. The majority 
should focus on whether the existing programs achieve the stated 
objectives. The Federal Government does nothing to measure 
effectiveness of prevention programs and has not a single metric for 
program performance. Before we create a new Federal entitlement program 
costing billions, we should first measure the effectiveness of our 
current programs.
  I can tell you what is working. Employers all over the country are 
creating innovative, voluntary programs to promote healthier lifestyles 
and bring down costs. However, instead of removing hindrances to more 
employer prevention and wellness programs, the majority's first 
instinct is to create another government entitlement program and set up 
roadblocks to employer innovation.
  I would now like to take a moment to put all of this in perspective. 
Today is Tuesday, June 23, and another day has passed without the 
Senate having a complete health care reform bill to consider. We don't 
yet know what the majority will propose for their so called 
``government plan'' or how it will be paid for. What we do know is that 
a Congressional Budget Office preliminary estimate believes that the 
incomplete bill will cost over $1 trillion but cover only one-third of 
those current uninsured. So I dread the Congressional Budget Office 
cost estimate of a complete bill. Some fear that the final price tag 
for covering all Americans Auld cost taxpayers as much as $3 trillion.
  We have a real problem here. Every day that goes by without the key 
elements of the majority's bill being available for consideration leads 
to another day where millions of Americans will become uninsured. This 
is an absolute disservice to our constituents and an embarrassment.
  The President of the United States and the majority continue to 
allege that we will enact health care reform before we leave for the 
August recess. We are now approaching the July recess. We do not have 
an estimate or the language, much less the estimate, of two vital, 
important parts of any health care reform legislation: what will be the 
role of the employer and what will be the government mandate or the 
government role, and, finally, how much all this will cost the 
taxpayers.
  So we are talking about one-fifth of the gross domestic product of 
this Nation, and we are expected, in a few short weeks, to enact 
overall health care reform with still the Members on this side of the 
aisle not being informed as to what the plan is, much less have a 
serious debate. There are meetings of the committees going on and 
discussion and nice things said about each other. I always enjoy that. 
But the fact is, we have not gotten down to the fundamental challenges 
of health care reform in America.
  The days are growing shorter and the time is growing short. We cannot 
enact health care reform and fail. We cannot do that. The sooner the 
better that we get the full perspective of what is the proposal of the 
administration and the other side and how much it costs and what the 
fundamental issues are that are being addressed--such as employer 
mandates and government mandates. They are certainly not clear not only 
to us but to the American people.
  We have to communicate to the American people how we are going to fix 
health care. We can't do that unless we have a complete plan to 
consider and present to them, as well as to Members on this side of the 
aisle.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas is 
recognized.

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