Republican Solutions to Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for an important Special Order--this time, to focus on Republican solutions to our national health care crisis.

The President's health care law has hurt more people than it has helped. Taxes are going up, premiums are rising to unaffordable levels, workers' hours are being cut, and people are losing the plans they like. After more than $500 million spent, the Web site doesn't even work. The truth is that, despite all these problems, the American people needed genuine health care reform before President Obama signed his signature law--and we still do.

The American people deserve an alternative to the failures of the President's health care law, and we have one: The Affordable Health Care Reform Act. This important bill replaces the President's health care law with patient-centered reforms that genuinely lower costs while keeping you in charge of your health care.

I have a few colleagues with me here today to join in this conversation. I certainly would like to start by yielding to Congressman Barton.

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Thank you. Once again, I appreciate the gentleman's leadership. I appreciate your longstanding leadership on this important issue and your longtime leadership in Texas as well.

As you have said, nobody wants to say, ``I told you so,'' but, unfortunately, what has unfolded in the most recent weeks and months is exactly what was predicted by folks on your committee and elsewhere because you could see from the beginning that the bill was fundamentally flawed and just didn't work.

I want to cite to this Chamber the number 701. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, that is the number of Hoosiers who have successfully signed up for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Indiana isn't alone. States across the country are experiencing dismal enrollment numbers. What is worse is that millions of Americans, including 108,000 Hoosiers, are getting policy cancelation notices from their health insurance companies. These notices are coming at a faster rate than people are able to sign up for the health care plans under the President's health care bill.

The President called a press conference once again last week to announce to the American people that, if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. The problem is, no matter how many times the President makes that promise, the promise still isn't true. Saying the promise over and over again doesn't magically make it true.

One of my constituents, Michael Sturgis of Greensburg, called to let me know that he received a cancelation letter from his insurance company. He was told his monthly premium was going to increase from $397 a month to $831 a month--an almost $500 increase per month. His $5,000 deductible will now go up to $7,300. So he is spending more money for a plan that gives him less.

This is unacceptable, and it is certainly not affordable. That is why we need to pass the American Health Care Reform Act. It is so people like Michael and the millions of Americans like him all across this country can remain in charge of their own health care.

Now I would like to yield to a colleague of mine, another person who has shown great leadership on this important issue and who is a close personal friend of mine as well, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows).

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Thank you. I certainly appreciate the gentleman and his leadership. I am sure you have been asked by many, both privately and publicly, the same thing that I have been asked, which is: Aren't you just really rooting for ObamaCare to fail?

The comment I make every time I am asked that question is, no, I am rooting for the millions of Americans who are now being harmed by this bill. All the moms and dads that are worried about whether they are going to have insurance that had it before. The people who were promised things, that they would suddenly magically have insurance, and now they are not getting it.

In the areas across the country where there were promises that rates would go down and now rates are going up, those folks now are caught at this point. I do think we have a responsibility. You and I both know, anybody that has been following here, we were opposed to ObamaCare and led efforts, along with many others, to try to make sure that we didn't have it.

We also have always recognized that the status quo wasn't acceptable in health care either. That while we had a lot of great things in our system--certainly some of the best health care treatment in the world--we had a program that was unaffordable and rates were going up.

We have free enterprise-based, patient center-based solutions that can make a difference.

I appreciate your leadership and highlighting this.

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Thank you very much.

For months, the President has unilaterally enacted modifications, repeals, and delays to his own law, yet none of those so-called ``fixes'' have fixed this flawed law. Health care costs have continued to skyrocket. This is a huge burden on employers, individuals, and families.

The American Health Care Reform Act will drive down the cost of health care through increased competition, individuals will be able to purchase health insurance across State lines and, as my colleague highlighted, businesses can pool together to get the same buying power as large corporations.

Under the American Health Care Reform Act, families will have the flexibility to pick the coverage that best fits their needs. When people are in charge of their own health care, they become better consumers, which will encourage competition in the health care market. Real savings will only happen when people, not Washington bureaucrats, are in charge of their own health care.

Next up, I would like to highlight a real leader on this important issue of providing an alternative to the failed programs of the President's health care law, my friend and colleague from Louisiana, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Mr. Scalise. Great to have you here.

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Again, I thank the gentleman. Thank you for your leadership.

As we have talked about before, the American people needed health care reform before the disaster of ObamaCare rolled out. Obviously, we need it now more than ever given the failings of recent days. H.R. 3121, the American Health Care Reform Act, is an answer.

There are several principles upon which we should all be able to agree when it comes to genuine health care reform.

First, patients should not be denied health insurance because of preexisting conditions.

Second, any Federal policy changes must be designed to drive costs down, not up, as we have seen under the so-called Affordable Care Act.

Third, you should be able to keep your health care plan if you like it. I agree with former President Bill Clinton when he has said that, given that very clear promise that was made by President Obama on behalf of the Federal Government to the American people, we need to pass legislation--we have already passed a bill in the House--but we need to pass legislation that makes sure that promise is kept.

Fourth, we need commonsense medical liability reform that puts an end to the expensive system of defensive medicine that we have now.

Health care decisions should be left up to you and your doctor, not Washington bureaucrats.

The American Health Care Reform Act is centered on these five principles.

Frivolous lawsuits are driving up health care costs and forcing good doctors out of the medical field. The American Health Care Reform Act improves medical liability law. Frankly, Indiana has been a leader in this area because of leadership from former Governor ``Doc'' Bowen, a physician back in the 1960s. The Indiana medical malpractice reform approach would be a great Federal model, and its principles from that plan is a part of H.R. 3121, which we are talking about today.

We need improved medical liability law that allows doctors to continue practicing medicine without fear of excessive and unfair penalties.

I also would like to talk to you a little bit about the importance of medical savings accounts. Fellow Hoosier Pat Rooney is known as the ``father of health savings accounts'' from his work as the president and CEO of Golden Rule. They were established in 2003 while Pat Rooney was the chairman of the Golden Rule Insurance Company. Pat believed people should own their own health care.

Health savings accounts have proven to be a useful tool for individuals and families while navigating the health care system. Our plan, H.R. 3121, expands health savings accounts and enhances their performance by increasing the cap on contributions and expanding the allowable uses of health savings account funds. This gives people more control over how they spend their health care dollars and allows them to invest pretax dollars toward their future health care needs.

Mr. Speaker, no one doubts that real reform is needed, but there are two distinct visions for the future of health care in our Nation.

The President's plan expands the Federal Government's role in health care, raises taxes, and imposes unfair and unworkable mandates on the American people. Our plan, H.R. 3121, the American Health Care Reform Act, puts people in charge of their own health care. It encourages competition to lower costs and expand coverage.

American families, businesses, and individuals deserve real solutions to the very serious problems that exist in health care in America today. The American Health Care Reform Act provides a path to true reform.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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