Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, as a substitute for a plan that actually controls health care costs, the Senate majority leader has devised a gimmick. Under the plan announced yesterday, the Federal Government imposes billions of dollars of taxes on all 50 States, imposes billions in unfunded mandates via the Medicaid program, increasing the debt load of every citizen, creating a new government-run insurance program that, according to the CBO's official analysis, is more expensive than the status quo. Individual States can opt out, but their citizens cannot opt out of the taxes, and they can't opt out of the debt, and they can't opt out of the job losses that will result from these higher taxes and debt.

Real reform will not require gimmicks or job loss. States should not have to pass laws to save themselves. Real health reform lowers costs by empowering patients. If we give patients direct control over health care dollars and the information they need for value-conscious decisions, we will have reform.

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