On the recordFebruary 18, 2011
I stand in strong support of the Rehberg amendment. I do so because of this very controversial health care bill which was passed through strong-arm tactics last year during a time period when the American public was crying out against it. This was a product of the backroom deal-making in Washington, D.C. This is one reason why the Democrats lost control of the U.S. Congress. It wasn't so much the bill; it was the process. But let's talk about the bill. An individual mandate that's already been ruled unconstitutional by two judges, a mandate which the Governor of Alaska is saying he is not even going to implement the rule. This is hardly a law that's bringing America together. This bill needs to be put on the back burner, and let us retool it and rework it. I believe that's what the Americans want us to do. It destroys the doctor-patient relationship. One thing that's abundantly clear is people do not want the insurance companies telling the hospitals and the docs how to conduct medicine. But they sure as heck don't want government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., and all of the hundreds of new agencies and the IRS agents coming in and telling the doctor how to conduct medicine. The cost of this--there is not one credible report that says this will bring down costs.
