[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 101 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H4660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT CONTINUES TO HURT PATIENTS AND DOCTORS

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, today The Dallas Morning News and the Fort 
Worth Star-Telegram carried stories that only 31 percent of Texas 
doctors are accepting new patients who rely on Medicaid. In 2010, the 
last time the survey was taken, it was 42 percent. In the year 2000, it 
was 67 percent.
  The Texas Medical Association conducted the survey and attributes the 
dropping numbers to a low reimbursement rate for physicians and 
increasing red tape. Doctors appear to be losing patience with 
government-funded health plans and government-run health care in 
general.
  You know, shortly after the Supreme Court decision, all of the cable 
talk shows talked about it's free riders that are driving up the cost 
of health care in this country. No, it's not. The biggest freeloader is 
the Federal Government.
  The Federal Government, with its Medicare and Medicaid programs being 
structured the way they are, is actually causing the cost of health 
care to skyrocket in this country, and that's something that needs to 
stop. They're freeloading on an underfunded program, and it's costing 
us money. And more importantly, it's inexcusably hurting patients.
  The Affordable Care Act is a bad law. We all knew it was bad law when 
it passed. It was written by lobbyists in secret down at the White 
House. It was a rough draft passed by the Senate that got forced to the 
House.
  This House is going to hold a repeal vote this week. I suspect it 
will pass. I urge the Senate to take up and pass this repeal vote so we 
can get on to the important business of reforming the system in this 
country.

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