[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 41 (Friday, March 19, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE DEBATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURGESS. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the 
opportunity--we've had a pretty full day with a lot of debate on the 
floor regarding the health care legislation that's going to be coming 
to the floor on Sunday--and I wanted to read into the Record some 
correspondence that my office has received. First, is a letter from the 
Governor of Texas, received March 19, 2010. The Governor, says: Texans 
deserve affordable, high-quality health care, but not higher taxes, 
increased health insurance premiums and unprecedented mandates. It goes 
on to say, We recognize the need for true health care reform that 
controls rising costs and ensures hardworking Texans can afford health 
care for themselves and for their families. But government programs 
should not be the first place we look to expand coverage.
  It goes on to say, In addition to the enormous cost to Texas, we 
believe the backroom negotiations and special deals that some 
congressional leaders have cut may well be unconstitutional. 
Additionally, it appears that congressional leaders might resort to 
employing an obscure parliamentary procedure to avoid an actual vote on 
the bill. This is not how the public expects legislation of this 
magnitude to be debated or enacted. It's signed, Governor Rick Perry, 
Governor of Texas.
  A letter from Tommy Williams, who's the chairman of the 
administration committee of the State senate. He's also on the senate 
finance committee. He says, Recently, the Texas Health and Human 
Services Commission provided me with an analysis of the impact of 
President Obama's proposal on our state budget. It would, in a word, be 
devastating. The analysis estimates that the President's proposal would 
cost the State of Texas over $24 billion over the next 10 years. This 
includes a $6 billion reduction in available disproportionate share of 
funding for hospitals. Our State simply cannot afford an additional 
average cost of $4 billion to $5 billion per biennium over the 10 years 
it would take to implement this plan. Signed, Tommy Williams, State 
senator from Texas.
  Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote to Senators Hutchison and Cornyn 
earlier this year in a very detailed correspondence about the problems 
he saw with the Senate bill as it was passed on Christmas Eve--and do 
remember it will be the Senate bill that will be here on the floor on 
Sunday. There will be a reconciliation bill to fix some of the things 
in there, but it will be the Senate bill, make no mistake about that. 
It will be the Senate bill that passes. All of those technical 
corrections could just as easily pass by the wayside if the 
administration is not interested in fixing the problems in the Senate 
bill.
  Nebraska compromise. We've heard a lot about that. The attorney 
general was concerned about the equal sovereignty and due process 
contained within the Cornhusker kickback, the Nebraska compromise. The 
individual mandate was particularly instructive. The attorney general 
talked about the commerce clause. And he concludes by saying, The 
individual mandate is constitutionally suspect because it does not fall 
within any of the normal categories.
  The mandate provision in H.R. 3590 attempts to regulate a 
nonactivity. The legislation actually imposes a financial penalty upon 
Americans who choose not to engage in interstate commerce because they 
choose not to enter into a contract for health insurance. In other 
words, the proposed mandate would compel every American to engage in 
commerce by forcing them to purchase insurance and then use that 
coerced transaction as a basis for claiming authority under the 
commerce clause. That is Attorney General Greg Abbott from the State of 
Texas.
  Now I have a list of many physician specialty societies that are 
opposed to this legislation. This list was current as of today. This 
list represents nearly 500,000 physicians in the United States of 
America--parenthetically, more than the American Medical Association. 
The dermatologists; plastic surgeons; eye doctors; head and neck 
surgeons; trauma surgeons; neurological surgeons; American College of 
OB-GYNs; the College of Osteopathic Surgeons; the American College of 
Surgeons; the American Academy of Orthopedics; the Society of Breast 
Surgeons; the Society of Anesthesiologists; American Society of 
Cataract and Refractive Surgery; colon and rectal surgeons; metabolic 
and bariatric surgeons; the American Urological Association; the 
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
  State medical associations. That is not a complete list, but State 
medical associations: Alabama; Delaware; District of Columbia; Florida; 
Georgia; Kansas; Louisiana; Missouri; Medical Society of New Jersey; 
Ohio; South Carolina; Texas; and Tennessee. I will submit the entire 
list for the Record.

   America's Physicians Do Not Support the Current Health Reform Bill


                                VOTE NO

       Physician Organizations Representing Nearly 500,000 
     Physicians (Many More than the AMA) Do Not Support the 
     Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:


                       National Medical Societies

       American Academy of Dermatology Association, American 
     Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 
     American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of 
     Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Association 
     for the Surgery of Trauma, American Association of 
     Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Orthopaedic 
     Surgeons, American Congress of Obstetricians and 
     Gynecologists, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, 
     American College of Surgeons, and American Osteopathic 
     Academy of Orthopedics.
       American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Society 
     of Breast Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists, 
     American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, American 
     Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, American Society of 
     General Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric 
     Surgery, American Urological Association, American Society of 
     Plastic Surgeons, and Coalition of State Rheumatology 
     Organizations Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
       Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Heart Rhythm 
     Society, National Association of Spine Specialists, Society 
     for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society for 
     Vascular Surgery, Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, and 
     Society of Surgical Oncology.


                       State Medical Associations

       Medical Association of the State of Alabama, Medical 
     Society of Delaware, Medical Society of the District of 
     Columbia, Florida Medical Association, Medical Association of 
     Georgia, Kansas Medical Society, Louisiana State Medical 
     Society, Missouri State Medical Association, Medical Society 
     of New Jersey, Ohio State Medical Association, South Carolina 
     Medical Association, Texas Medical Association.

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