[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19552-19553]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
  CALLING ON DEMOCRATS TO WORK ON A BIPARTISAN HEALTH CARE ALTERNATIVE

  (Mr. LANCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, for the second time this month, nonpartisan 
congressional budget analysts have told Congress the Democratic health 
plan would increase, not decrease, our Nation's burgeoning long-term 
health costs. On Saturday the Congressional Budget Office said the 
proposal to give an independent panel the power to keep Medicare 
spending in check would, in reality, save almost no money. The bill's 
proponents had touted the panel as critical to pay for the massive $1.5 
trillion health care legislation. CBO's recent analysis comes on the 
heels of an earlier budget report, showing that the Democratic health 
care proposal would add to our already tremendously growing debt of $11 
trillion and rising.

[[Page 19553]]

  I once again call upon the Democratic leadership to put aside its 
proposal and work with the centrist Republican Tuesday Group on an 
affordable and effective alternative that we have proposed in good 
faith.

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