By Congressman Joe Barton
It was a shocking statement but one that is sadly turning out to be true … In the days before the vote on the Democrats government takeover of health care Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously said We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it." Now we know that Texas officials say it will cost our state $27 billion.
Well despite uniform opposition from Republicans and a handful of Democrats this big government takeover of health care is now the law of the land. Unfortunately each passing day confirms what I have said since the beginning this law will lead to higher taxes rationed care and fewer jobs.
Dont just take my word for it look at the facts and you will see the Democrats rhetoric doesnt match reality.
Despite the Presidents repeated promises of lower health care costs in just the past week some of his administrations own analysts concluded that the country will spend $311 billion more on health care under the new law than we would have without it.
That news was followed up by the release of documents from several major companies proving that the new health law will hurt their bottom line. These businesses also revealed another disturbing fact:
- It makes more sense financially for them to drop health care coverage for their employees because it would be cheaper to pay the federally mandated penalties and force their workers into a government-run exchange than to continue providing them with private policies.
So much for the Presidents claim that if you like your plan you can keep it.
Something is very wrong when as AT&T found out paying $600 million in penalties will allow a company to stop paying $2.4 billion for insurance leaving both workers and taxpayers stuck.
I suppose we cant know for some years how many thousands hundreds of thousands or even millions of workers will lose their company insurance because of health care reform but I know that it will be a breach of faith for most of them and a genuine tragedy for many.
The negative effects dont end there.
The new law jeopardizes medical care for seniors. Experts say 50 of seniors on Medicare Advantage could lose their plans.
It also crushes state budgets with more unfunded mandates.
This is simply unacceptable.
This law contains several great concepts that I and other Republicans support. We should cover pre-existing conditions we should help those who cant afford insurance to obtain it and insurance companies shouldnt be able to cancel your policy when you get sick just to name a few.
But the way this law implements these ideas in the real world is a social and financial disaster.
That is why my fellow Republicans and I will continue to push forward with our efforts to repeal this law and replace it with one that protects your familys health care without ruining our nations finances.
I will never settle for a law that allows government bureaucrats to come between you and your doctor.
