WASHINGTON: U.S. Rep. Joe Barton R-Ennis/Arlington ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee made the following comments Wednesday after President Obamas call to pass health care reform:
The president called on America to today to make your voice heard. America has done that for more than a year and it is clear that the President didnt listen. The more people heard about president Obamas health care ideas the more they opposed those ideas but nothing that anybody says has convinced the president that he needs to start fresh with different ideas.
Another problem facing the president is the fact that what the people hear they know from experience that they cant always believe. If you like your plan you can keep your plan and if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor everyone heard those promises last March too and then the president and the Democrats proposed cutting the Medicare Advantage program that allows senior citizens to choose their plan and choose their doctors. Now he has decided to plunge ahead with that and other ideas that are devastating to sick Americans and their families.
No one doubts the presidents sincerity about the need to change health care in America but it was clear last Thursday and again today that ideas which diverge his own are unwelcome. Pretending that the disagreement we have is about regulating insurance companies is particularly unfortunate and it intentionally ignores the fact that Republicans made a good case on behalf of the American peoples aversion to government-run health care and an equally good case in favor of important changes like covering pre-existing conditions barring companies from canceling sick peoples insurance and cutting the lawsuit abuse that is driving doctors out of medicine.
Starting last summer people absorbed these sorts of disparities and possibilities and made their preference known: Stop and start over. They said it in Virginia in New Jersey and in Massachusetts. It was pretty good advice and still hope it is the advice that the president agrees to take."
WASHINGTON: U.S. Rep. Joe Barton R-Ennis/Arlington ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee made the following comments Wednesday after President Obamas call to pass health care reform:
The president called on America to today to make your voice heard. America has done that for more than a year and it is clear that the President didnt listen. The more people heard about president Obamas health care ideas the more they opposed those ideas but nothing that anybody says has convinced the president that he needs to start fresh with different ideas.
Another problem facing the president is the fact that what the people hear they know from experience that they cant always believe. If you like your plan you can keep your plan and if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor everyone heard those promises last March too and then the president and the Democrats proposed cutting the Medicare Advantage program that allows senior citizens to choose their plan and choose their doctors. Now he has decided to plunge ahead with that and other ideas that are devastating to sick Americans and their families.
No one doubts the presidents sincerity about the need to change health care in America but it was clear last Thursday and again today that ideas which diverge his own are unwelcome. Pretending that the disagreement we have is about regulating insurance companies is particularly unfortunate and it intentionally ignores the fact that Republicans made a good case on behalf of the American peoples aversion to government-run health care and an equally good case in favor of important changes like covering pre-existing conditions barring companies from canceling sick peoples insurance and cutting the lawsuit abuse that is driving doctors out of medicine.
Starting last summer people absorbed these sorts of disparities and possibilities and made their preference known: Stop and start over. They said it in Virginia in New Jersey and in Massachusetts. It was pretty good advice and still hope it is the advice that the president agrees to take."
