Health Care

Floor Speech

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, the Democrat majority likes to say this is about choice and competition when, in fact, they know this is about a road to universal, government-run health insurance.

The President says if we get this public option, you will have a choice between your insurance company. If you like it, you can keep it; if you don't, you can go into the public option. What he doesn't say is that after 2 or 3 years of this so-called competition, the private-sector companies won't be there any longer.

The fact is our insurance companies have to make a profit. They have to pay taxes, they have to meet Federal regulations, and if they have a tough year, they have to just eat it and hope they can do better the next year. If they have a couple of tough years, they go out of business.

This new government plan does not have to make a profit, will not have to pay taxes because it's the government, will not have to meet the same regulations because it's the government, and if it has a bad year, it's going to be subsidized by us.

If anybody in the majority tells you that we're not going to put money into this program, they're not being straight with you. And if they say they're going to let this program go under because it has tough times meeting its obligations, they're not being straight with you.

It will be subsidized. It will be unfair competition. It will end up with no private-sector competition, and we will all wind up in universal health care.

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