Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, 42.7 percent of Oregon's seniors--that's about 200,000 in Oregon, nearly 41,000 in my district--were enrolled, at the time this law was established, in Medicare Advantage programs.

You know, under this bill, under this new law, Medicare gets whacked by $500 billion, and the reports indicate one out of two seniors might lose their Medicare Advantage across the country.

Look, I want a patient-centered health care system. It's your life. It's your health. You should have the right to choose your doctor and your hospital and make those decisions. We will address, with our replacement bill, preexisting conditions, making sure kids who are in college or up to 26 or whatever the age is decided by the committee are going to be able to be covered by your insurance.

But I'll tell you what. In the law that is on the books today, it drives up the cost of health care, it drives up premiums, and it adds to the Nation's debt when you look at it in the long term, according to CBO.

The manager at Taurus Freight, a small freight logistics business in Bend, Oregon, told me recently, because of the 1099 reporting provision in this bill, she's going to quit buying from various businesses, consolidate. It's going to cost jobs and put new headaches on small businesses.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. UPTON. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. WALDEN. And I think that's one of the big arguments here that I get from the people out in my district is: Why did the government take over this, put all of these other provisions in, ram a bill through the House that creates this new trillion dollar entitlement that costs jobs and doesn't drive down the cost of health care?

We can do better than this, given the chance. And under the Republicans, the committees will actually have a chance to work on a bill for replacement and everybody can participate from both sides of the aisle. And we will get it right and get to a patient-centered health care system in America that does reform the current system and drives down costs.

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