[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6387]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           OUR FUNDAMENTAL HEALTH CARE PROBLEM: RISING COSTS

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, when the health care bill was moving 
through Congress, I repeatedly made the arguments that the legislation 
was flawed because it failed to fundamentally address the problem with 
our current health care system--rising costs. Well, now guess what? A 
new analysis just put out by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services confirms that disturbing fact. According to CMS, the new 
health care law will actually increase our Nation's health care costs 
rather than decrease them.
  Here are some of the staggering numbers: Health care spending is 
projected to increase by $311 billion, and health care will now 
increase to 21 percent of our gross domestic product by 2019. So costs 
are going up, not down.
  These numbers are alarming, and they're further proof that the health 
care bill missed the mark. Real reform would have lowered health care 
costs for individuals, for families, and for small businesses. 
Unfortunately, the partisan bill that was signed into law has failed to 
address this great need for our constituents.

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