Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, released the following statement today after voting against H.R. 3962, the House health care reform legislation.
“There is no question that our nation’s health care system is broken. Over the past few months, I have spoken with hundreds of constituents and received thousands of calls, letters and emails about health care reform. I thank everyone in Western North Carolina who so willingly shared their stories and concerns with me. It is clear to me that we, as a country, are failing to provide enough Americans with affordable options to manage their health care, prevent illness and treat existing conditions.”
“I support many of the provisions in HR 3962. We must require health insurance companies to provide coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, and prohibit them from dropping coverage when an insured individual becomes sick. I support expanding coverage to individuals who do not currently have health insurance. I also support a provision in the bill that repeals an antitrust loophole that currently allows insurance companies to artificially drive up the price of coverage. I recognize our nation’s need for reform.”
“However, this legislation costs $1.055 trillion and fails to include sufficient cost-containment and deficit reduction measures. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this bill will not reduce the federal government’s spending on health care over the long term. Any reform that does not control long-term costs will be short-sighted and unwise.”
“This legislation fails to control the inefficiencies in health care that could be used to create substantial savings to drive down the bill’s overall cost. Our health care system is laden with waste, fraud and abuse, and this bill has not remedied those problems. Adding millions of people into a broken system is not an acceptable solution. We need reform that rewards quality outcomes and moves us away from the fee-for-service system that rewards the quantity of service. We need reform that rewards healthy lifestyles that would prevent excessive procedures and increased spending.”
“Unemployment has just topped 10 percent nationwide. Now is not the time to raise federal taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars and impose new and costly mandates on state governments, which would likely require states to raise taxes on working families. During these challenging times, I believe we should be focused on our economy and creating jobs, not growing the size of the federal government with new mandates. We must stop the out-of-control spending in Washington and begin reducing our skyrocketing national debt. The path we are on is unsustainable. If health care reform does not bend the overall cost curve, we are simply passing higher costs to our children and grandchildren.”
“It is unfortunate that we have not been able to draft a health care reform package in a bipartisan manner. Unlike some of my colleagues, I pledge to continue to work to improve this legislation rather than to act as a roadblock to prevent any meaningful reform. I am convinced that passing health care reform is a moral obligation and a fiscal necessity, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to address rising health care costs. Today’s vote is one of the first steps in a lengthy legislative process, and I am optimistic that we will craft a solution that will lower health care costs for working families and small businesses. America needs meaningful health care reform that gives our country affordable, accessible, and sustainable health care.”
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