[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16292-16293]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMPETITION IS NEEDED FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. FLEMING asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, as we continue to learn more about the 
single-payer, government takeover of the health care system proposed by 
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I would like to point out 
why this isn't a good idea.

[[Page 16293]]

  First, we can't afford it. Cost estimates are now up to $3.5 trillion 
of money we don't have. Medicare, even with heavy subsidies from 
private insurance, is on the course of bankruptcy. How will we afford a 
Medicare-for-all program?
  Let me be clear, the government cannot be both competitor and make up 
the rules of the game. It would be like Microsoft being put in control 
of the Internet. How would other companies compete with Microsoft?
  A single-payer system option will erode the private insurance market 
that is propping up the public health plan we have today. It is 
becoming very clear that the public option group has the ultimate goal 
of destroying competition and choice and substituting it with a 
government takeover of our health care system.
  So what is the end game here? The end game is that once the Federal 
Government gains full control of our health care system and steps 
between you and your doctor, we will have exploding budgets which will 
lead to rationing.

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