[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H797-H798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PROBLEMS WITH THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE PLAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, after more than 70 years of false starts 
on fixing health care, the Congress is on the brink of passing 
sensible, comprehensive reform legislation. We are extremely close to 
giving all Americans access to quality, affordable health care, while 
reducing the deficit. After a year of trying to instill fear in the 
American public about the Democratic approach to fixing our broken 
health care system, my Republican colleagues have really entered the 
debate. I commend my colleague from Wisconsin for putting forward the 
Republican plan.
  The sweeping Republican bill lets the public know where their party 
truly stands. Their bill would radically reorganize both the health 
care system and the Social Security system. Once again, they want to 
spend more time hating government than helping people.
  The Republicans want to give the seniors a voucher. A voucher 
government. If you qualify, you get a little check and then you are on 
your own to deal with the insurance companies and Wall Street. The 
Republicans wish the American people the best of luck. If you aren't 
lucky enough to outsmart Wall Street and the insurance executives with 
the rules stacked against you, well, that's too bad.
  Under the Republican plan, you will likely end up sick and poor, but 
they think you will love the free market choices you have had on the 
way down. Sadly, the Republican plan is filled with the same old 
policies to dismantle Medicare and Social Security that they have been 
putting forward for decades.
  To understand the clear difference between the different approaches, 
let's look at health care. Health care is big, and a complex part of 
our economy, and it needs thoughtful and commonsense approaches. 
Instead, the Republicans have put forward a plan that would put more 
Americans at risk, drive millions into bankruptcy, lock in the 
skyrocketing costs, and enrich the insurance companies. In the 
Republican plan, insurance companies could get richer while Americans 
get poorer and sicker.
  The Republican approach to health care has two parts. First, the 
Republicans would give American seniors a voucher for health care and 
do nothing to keep the insurance companies from taking them to the 
cleaners. The Republican plan would essentially do away with the 
Medicare program as we know it today, which many seniors rely on.
  The hypocrisy of the Republican plan is maddening. Their say one 
thing and do another approach is really reprehensible. The Republicans 
not only want to dismantle Medicare, but at the same time they denounce 
the Democratic plans to stop wasteful spending in the program.
  The second part of the Republican plan puts health savings accounts 
at the center of the program. Health savings accounts have existed for 
years. These accounts are small, and history shows that many Americans 
underfund them or can't use them. When illness strikes, any significant 
co-payment or deductible can wipe out a family's savings in a minute.
  Finally, the Republican plan does more to take our health care system 
down the road to ruin. It goes another step and privatizes Social 
Security. After the Wall Street meltdown, the crazy lesson the 
Republicans learned was to trust Wall Street with the future of our 
seniors.
  This week we learned that by 2019, national health care spending will 
be over 19 percent of our economy. That is $4.5 trillion. If we don't 
act to control those costs now, people will no longer be able to afford 
the essentials like housing and food. When the public has to deal with 
the market to satisfy basic needs, the government has to

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make sure the system is fair and that all Americans have access. When 
it comes to health care and retirement, we have to have commonsense 
rules.
  We must finish the job on health care, and we are going to do it 
beginning tomorrow at the White House. The Republicans have shown the 
public their plan, and it is not the solution. They are a rehash of old 
theories that make things much worse. Instead, we have to pass the 
commonsense health reform that is on the table and protect Social 
Security from crazy theories.

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