Henry Waxman: “I am astounded at the comments of my colleague from California, new chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the…”

“I am astounded at the comments of my colleague from California, new chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means. Our State of California has these limits that this proposal would impose upon the whole country. Is that health care reform? The State of California has 3 million people who are uninsured. It has not solved our problems. Has it led to any less defensive medicine? There is no evidence of that whatsoever. Has it reduced the premiums the doctors pay? Perhaps, somewhat, it is stabilized. It may have had that value. But this is not health reform. If you are being told we have to keep somebody who is injured and maybe even butchered in surgery from recovering to make them whole so that we have health reform, this is not what health reform is all about.”