Cliff Stearns: “We are 8 months into the passage of the more than 2,000-page health care bill, and already we are beginning to see some…”

“We are 8 months into the passage of the more than 2,000-page health care bill, and already we are beginning to see some of the problems that the new health care law brings with it. When Congress passed the massive health care bill, I said that it would lead to millions of Americans losing their current health care plan. I was so concerned about this happening that I offered an amendment to the bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee markup and at the Rules Committee to protect people's health care plans. It was a very simple amendment. It stated, ``Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent or limit individuals from keeping their current health coverage.'' This amendment was voted down in committee, and the Rules Committee prevented it from being offered on the House floor during debate on the health care bill. Fast forward now 6 months, and the Department of Health and Human Services has just issued the rules that govern grandfathered health care plans. Unfortunately, the rule governing grandfathered health plans is so restrictive that most of the current health plans will not qualify.”