Congressman Pete King


Health Care Reform

Americans have the leading doctors, the most advanced medical technology and the best hospitals in the world. It is not uncommon for major government officials from other countries to come to the United States for their medical procedures. 85% of Americans have health insurance.

While certain reforms are needed, we should have done this by working within and adding to what we now have - - not radically restructuring 17% of the nation’s economy which is what President Obama’s healthcare legislation did.

President Obama pushed this so-called healthcare reform legislation through Congress despite the opposition of the American people.

I voted against this legislation because it will over the next ten years:

  1. Increase taxes by $569 billion, with New Yorkers paying 15% of these taxes though we are only 6.3% of the nation's population. (Some of the items to be taxed include diabetes blood sugar monitors and insulin injectors, heart valves and stents, pacemakers and glucose monitors!)
  2. Reduce Medicare by almost half a trillion dollars, causing as many as twenty thousand senior citizens in the Third Congressional District to lose their Medicare Advantage Plan coverage.
  3. Increase the deficit by $562 billion.
  4. Fail to adequately protect veterans who are covered by Tricare which is why it was opposed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

As I have stated before, I do support commonsense reforms to our health care system such as covering pre-existing conditions, allowing portability of insurance from one job to another and assisting those who truly cannot afford health insurance. I refused, however, to vote for legislation that will ration care, lead to a government takeover of health care, allow government bureaucrats to stand between patients and their doctors and jeopardize the coverage of millions of people.

I want to assure you that though we have lost this battle, the struggle is far from over. The fight will go on in Congress. I assure you I will keep up the fight.