[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 25787-25788]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. COLE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)

[[Page 25788]]


  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, the Democratic health care bill now being 
drafted behind closed doors is bad for seniors, bad for taxpayers, and 
bad for the quality of America's health care system.
  It will cut Medicare spending on seniors. It will cost taxpayers $1 
trillion, and it will push the American medical system toward an 
underfunded, overregulated, government-run health care system. We can 
do better than that.
  Republicans have offered in good faith positive proposals putting 
patients first, reforms that protect the doctor-patient relationship, 
increase accessibility, and truly make health care more affordable. 
However, these ideas have never been heard in the back rooms of the 
Capitol where the Democrats are crafting their own partisan proposals.
  Mr. Speaker, the majority's proposals continue to ignore medical 
liability reform, something the President himself said would be 
addressed. Tort reform has yet to be raised in the deliberations of our 
Democratic majority.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow the government to stand between patients 
and health care. Americans are smart enough to know the difference 
between no choice and a real choice.

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