Phil Gingrey: “it seems that tonight is health care night. We just heard from two of our colleagues from Texas, one of whom I agree…”

“it seems that tonight is health care night. We just heard from two of our colleagues from Texas, one of whom I agree with and one of whom on a lot of points I do not necessarily agree with. But, Mr. Speaker, I do rise tonight to express my deep concern over the high cost of health care and the toll it has taken on our families and our businesses and our economy. I was very encouraged to hear President Bush discuss the important issue of health care reform during a speech in Ohio today. A recent NBC news poll showed 76 percent of Americans believe health care reform is a top priority for our Nation and we absolutely must act to create a more transparent accessible and affordable system, as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) just said. Before coming to Congress, I practiced medicine as an OB-GYN for 26 years. I know that America has the best doctors, hospitals, research facilities in the world, but all of that is for naught if people, Mr. Speaker, cannot afford the care that they need. However, different Americans have different health care needs, and we cannot resort to a Hillary-care program, to a one-size-fits-all system of care. We rejected that in 1993, and we reject it here today in 2006. Instead, we need reform that allows Americans to be better health care consumers. When we shop for a new car or home what do we do? We compare prices to get the best deal and the best product. Health care should be no different.…”