Press Releases

Will congressional Democrats vote “NO” when asked if Americans who like their current health care coverage should be able to keep it? That’s the question Republicans on the House Education and Labor Committee posed today through a series of amendments aimed at preventing a government takeover of our nation’s health care system. An independent analysis has projected that the Democrats’ plan would force an estimated 114 million Americans to lose their current coverage. Democrats have already rejected three amendments designed to protect current coverage – how will they vote on the rest?

“President Obama and congressional Democrats have repeatedly promised that Americans who like their current health care coverage will be able to keep it,” said Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the panel’s top Republican. “Today is a chance to find out if they meant what they said; so far, the answer has been a resounding ‘no.’”

Republicans are fighting to prevent a government takeover of our health care system that would put bureaucrats between patients and doctors. To protect the American people and block the creation of a federally controlled health care system:

• Senior Republican Member Kline offered an amendment that would provide comprehensive protections against government-controlled health care by striking the entire portion of the legislation that calls for such a system. Kline  that health care reform is far too important to get wrong, and has made it clear he’s prepared to come to the negotiating table in good faith to develop commonsense, bipartisan solutions. To date, it’s an offer that has been rejected by Democrats – most recently, through their party-line rejection of this amendment. 

• Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) offered an amendment to prevent the creation of a national health insurance exchange, which is the Democrats’ government-controlled health insurance marketplace that would dictate coverage requirements and create unprecedented levels of bureaucratic red tape for health care plans that serve families and small businesses. Again, Democrats rejected the amendment on a party-line vote. 

• Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), himself a medical doctor, proposed an amendment to remove the government-run health plan from the Democrats’ legislation. Roe argued that a government controlled and operated plan would crowd out the private sector while limiting care and treatment for patients. Democrats voted the amendment down. 

• Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) is fighting to protect jobs by proposing an amendment to eliminate the controversial “pay or play” provisions from the legislation. Guthrie’s experience with his family-owned business led him to oppose the punitive scheme, which would require businesses to offer federally dictated benefits or pay costly financial penalties – either of which could cost jobs in an already weak economy. A vote on the amendment has been postponed. 

• Reps. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Tom Price (R-GA) are offering an amendment that quite simply would ensure Americans who like their current employer-provided coverage can keep it by shielding such coverage from the costly and complex new mandates that would be imposed under the Democrats’ legislation. A vote on the amendment has been postponed.
  

Votes on additional GOP amendments are expected later today.

The Education and Labor Committee is one of three panels simultaneously voting on the Democrats’ radical health care overhaul this week as their party’s leaders try to meet an arbitrary deadline that would rush the legislation through the full U.S. House of Representatives before the end of this month.

 

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