Lynn A. Westmoreland: “Eighty thousand dollars-plus. To me, this program was intended for those poor children that were in a situation with a…”

“Eighty thousand dollars-plus. To me, this program was intended for those poor children that were in a situation with a family of four making $42,000 that could not afford the health insurance, so the government stepped in and said we are going to help you out. We as Republicans want to see these children insured. We don't want to see the program being abused as is being done now. So I think that is the point that is so hard to get back to, is the point that we want to do this. The President has increased the funding. But, you know what? It is one of those things that I think the gentleman from Arizona said this in his opening comments, the name of the bill sounds so good. There are a lot of smart people up here that make these pieces of legislation have great names, that you just feel like I can't vote against this because of what it is named. This bill's original intent was to help the children in families of four that makes less than $42,000. We are now trying to make it now where families that make up to $84,000 can taken their children off of private insurance and immediately put them on this government program. Let me say this: I think this is the first step to national health care. I don't know that that has been brought out enough.”