[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14358]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       THE CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. ROE of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, it's time we address the crisis in 
health care. We can ensure every American can get the care they need, 
protect individuals from costs that can bankrupt them, and make health 
insurance portable so they can move or change jobs without losing 
health insurance coverage. We can also stop insurance companies from 
avoiding sick patients by reforming the system to pay when people 
become healthier.
  Enacting a public plan will not bring about this type of change. If 
you think you won't be affected by a public plan, consider this: a 
recent analysis by the respected independent firm The Lewin Group 
estimated that 70 percent of individuals who have health care coverage 
through their employer would lose those benefits in favor of a public 
option. This plan could very easily be a Medicaid-like plan. In fact, 
Senator Kennedy is proposing expanding Medicaid to families making up 
to $110,000 a year in legislation he dropped yesterday.
  When supporters of a public plan say they want a public plan to 
compete with private plans, the facts show that what they're really 
saying is they want a Washington bureaucrat to take over health care 
decisionmaking. Buyer beware.

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