[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  BIPARTISANSHIP IN HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. ISSA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, so many Members have come up to talk about 
this plan, the plan that, in fact, cannot get even all of the Democrats 
to vote for it, and it doesn't have so much as one Republican voting 
for it. Hopefully, the American people understand Republicans believe 
there is a problem. We know, in fact, there are uninsured and 
underinsured. There are Americans who are concerned about losing their 
insurance, and of course, we all know that the Federal program, such as 
Medicare, is fraught with waste, fraud and abuse.
  What we don't hear is that we can attack the problems on a bipartisan 
basis. Lower the cost of health care by eliminating defensive medicine, 
by lowering the threat against every doctor, if he or she doesn't 
simply do every possible test, even if it's simply running up the tab.
  We can, in fact, work on a bipartisan basis on health care. The first 
thing we have to do is agree to do it piece by piece and to attack 
those things which either cause people to be uninsured or, in fact, 
cause people not to be able to afford their insurance.
  I urge you to think about that, Mr. Speaker.

                          ____________________