Washington, D.C. — Representative Dan Lungren sided with his Republican peers when it came time to vote Sunday evening on H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010.
“The Senate bill (that was passed by the House) is costly and ultimately unsustainable creating a new $938 billion entitlement. Its drafters say it is paid for but have engaged in all manner of budget gimmicks that would make Bernard Madoff blush, such as including 10 years of tax revenue to pay for only six years of benefits. The bill includes new taxes and penalties, special deals for certain states at the expense of other states, all the while doing nothing to decrease the cost of health insurance premiums. It does nothing to address the cost of health care delivery in this country.
The Senate bill virtually guarantees that many Americans will have to forfeit their existing coverage, contrary to the President’s promise that everyone who likes their current health care plan can keep it. Under the Senate proposal the Congressional Budget Office estimates that as many as nine million people who are enrolled in employer-based plans now will have to find some other way to get health care coverage.
The Senate bill imposes a one-size-fits-all approach to health insurance. Congress will now dictate the types of insurance plans that can be purchased. Many popular health plans, including Health Savings Accounts that allow individuals to pay for health care services with pre-tax dollars, will be limited under the bill. The bill forces all Americans to purchase government mandated coverage, regardless of their individual needs and preferences.
The Senate bill inflicts heavy tax burdens on small businesses and families at a time when we need to do what we can to foster job growth today. And we need to ensure that changes we make to our health care care system do not undermine the prospects for sustainable, long-term economic growth.
Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com
This post was last modified on 03/22/2010 2:18 pm