[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17320-17321]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         AMERICANS ARE ABOUT TO LOSE THE HEALTH CARE THEY HAVE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to warn the American people 
that they are about to lose the health care they have, to warn the 83 
percent of Americans who like the health care coverage they already 
have and to caution them that it is about to be taken away. It is about 
to be taken away, quite frankly, in an undemocratic process that will 
occur essentially in the dark of night. You see, as you have just heard 
from the last two speakers, democracy does not exist in this body today 
as it has in the past.
  I sit on the primary committee that should be writing this health 
care bill. I have not been allowed to participate in any way, shape, or 
form, not in any way, shape or form. The majority has written their 
bill all alone, behind closed doors, consulting only the majority. They 
can roll right over the minority, and they don't care. But that's 
wrong, that's dead wrong, and only the American people can stop it.
  Now, you heard me say, I rise to warn you that you are about to lose 
the health care you have. And you may have said to yourself, No, wait, 
Congressman, I've heard the President say again and again and again 
that if you like the care you have, you may keep it. I, too, have heard 
the President say those words, but they are not true. They are 
absolutely not true.
  You see, while we do not have a bill to read yet, we have a 
discussion draft. We will mark up a bill next week in all three 
committees with jurisdiction, but we don't have a bill yet. But we do 
have a discussion draft. That discussion draft makes the most sweeping 
changes to American health care--indeed, it is the most sweeping piece 
of legislation I have seen in my 15-year career in the Congress, and 
the most dramatic piece of legislation in decades. And yet, it will 
completely change health care in America, it will change one-sixth of 
our Nation's economy, and it will destroy the health care you have now.
  If you like what you have now, if you're one of those 83 percent of 
Americans who like their health care--maybe it's not perfect, its cost 
is going up too fast, you would like more control over it, but your 
employer has the control or the plan has the control; you would like to 
pick your doctor, but you can't; you would like a better system, but 
you still like what you have now? If you like it, be prepared to lose 
it because, under this bill, you will lose it.
  Every health care plan in America will change. The bill says that in 
almost those exact words. It says that they are creating a new health 
care bureaucracy to exist between you and your doctor. This chart shows 
that bureaucracy. You are the patient up here in the upper left-hand 
corner, your doctor is in the lower right-hand corner. Every single 
little box you see is a newly created agency, bureaucracy, program, 
plan, or bureaucrat standing between you and your doctor.
  But here's the one that counts in terms of changing the plan you 
have. They are creating a new, nicely named board. This nicely named 
board is called the American Health Care Benefits Advisory Committee. I 
love the word ``advisory''; it sounds like they're going to give you 
some advice. Wrong. This board will be a Federal board that will decide 
what is in every health care plan in America. If your employer has a 
plan today and it doesn't fit every dot and tittle of what the new 
Health Benefits Advisory Committee requires, it must change. And that 
means every plan in America will change.
  Now, they're being gracious; they will let the current plans stand 
for those who already have them for 5 years, but at the end of that 5 
years every plan will change. If you like what you have, it will 
change. They are inserting all of these bureaucrats between you and 
your doctor, 48 new agencies.
  Here's the Health Choices Administration, one of the new agencies 
they're creating, the risk pooling mechanism, the Health Benefits 
Advisory Committee, the many government health care plans. Here is the 
Public Health Investment Fund, the QHBP Ombudsman, the Medicare Trust 
Fund--we already have that one--and on and on and on and on. And 
they're putting them between you and your doctor. If you like what you 
have, be prepared to lose it because that's the mandate of this bill.
  Now, what are some of the other mandates? Every employer in America 
must provide health care coverage for every full-time employee and 
every part-time employee. Every. You heard me say ``every'' employer in 
America, not every big employer, but in the House bill, every employer. 
If you employ yourself, you must insure yourself and create a plan that 
meets the demands of this new government agency.
  Now, they do have a small business exemption, but guess what? In the 
House bill, there is no definition of small business--it's left blank. 
I wonder why. I guess they don't want to tell us that they can define a 
small business as as little as one employee.
  It creates a new government health care plan. That government health 
care plan will compete with your plan. Very interesting. The President 
was asked on ABC television last week, Mr. President, you've said if 
Americans like the health care plan they have, they can keep it, and 
yet it appears you're going to take things away. What do you mean by 
that, Mr. President? And the President of the United States responded, 
The government will not, on its own and directly, abolish any plan. And 
the interviewer said, Well, but wait a minute, what if you write a new 
set of rules that makes it impossible for American employers to offer 
the plan they're currently offering? The President's response was, 
Well, that's not the government taking away your plan; that's your 
employer taking

[[Page 17321]]

away your plan. If you believe that, then I've got some land in Florida 
to sell you.
  The American people need health care reform. We can give them better 
health care reform. We can give them choice and control over their own 
health care. We do not have to choose between the flawed current system 
and a government takeover of American health care.
  Americans, now is the time to engage. You don't have another minute 
to waste. Please get involved in this debate.

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