OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

State Health Care Premium Reduction Act

Floor Speech

Date: June 29, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health Insurance Health and Health Care

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Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I am really disappointed with, once again, my colleagues across the aisle using this COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to push their partisan agenda. You would think a crisis like this would bring us together.

And this thing is going nowhere. H.R. 1425 is nothing more than another government power grab in an attempt to double down on the failed policies of ObamaCare.

Remember the promise that was made to lower your premiums? Yet, they have skyrocketed. Not only does this bill rescind the Trump administration's rule on short-term, limited duration insurance, which aims to provide relief from rising premiums and flexibility for consumers, it also implements government price-setting for drugs.

The American people want choice, not one-size-fits-all, top-down, Big Government programs. Why in the world would you send a hard-earned tax dollar to Washington and maybe get 20 cents back to take care of a patient?

Madam Speaker, I made a promise to the people of Georgia's 12th District that I would fight to lower drug prices, and this bill would lead to drug price hikes and shortages. Under this proposal, the Secretary of HHS would be required to set government rates for a number of lifesaving drugs, like insulin. The CBO estimates that price-setting policies like these will result in fewer cures and treatments coming to the market.

H.R. 1425 would expand ObamaCare after we spent years working to roll back the burdensome mandates that the American people cried out for Congress to repeal.

As I said, the American people want choice. My Democrat colleagues have allowed the far-left radicals within their party to take over their agenda.

Let's be clear what the Democrats want here. They want the government to be in charge of your healthcare, of everyone's healthcare. Democrats believe they and their fellow bureaucrat friends know what is best for your healthcare, not your doctor. I can tell you right now that, in my district, we know better and can see right through these schemes.

Now more than ever, for the sake of our country, we must come together to provide real healthcare solutions, not far-left political messaging bills. Unfortunately, it is business-as-usual here for the Democrats, putting policies over country.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

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