Andrea Joy Campbell: “Well, indeed. What reminds me of this was the radio advertisement that I referred to. The advertisement now running in…”

“Well, indeed. What reminds me of this was the radio advertisement that I referred to. The advertisement now running in Washington, D.C., says that one estimate says that this will increase cost 15 percent. No, that is not correct. The Congressional Budget Office assessment is that the ultimate effect to the patient will be six-tenth's of 1 percent. Six-tenth's of 1 percent. Now, I have good reason to believe that is wrong because they do not measure quality. And if quality is improving, which it surely will under this bill, any measurement of cost-per-unit quality will likely drop. But let me explain how 15 percent came to be. The Congressional Budget Office said, well, we have to make some assumption as to what the initial increase in compensation to the doctors will be. Let us just assume that the studies of industrial unions, which show that members of industrial unions make roughly 15 percent more than individuals in that same calling who are not members of industrial unions, let us assume 15 percent. Mr. Speaker, it was done on no more basis than that. But it started there, and then it came down to six-tenth's of 1 percent after figuring the following. Even assuming that 15 percent increase goes to the medical professional, the next step is the HMO. And the HMO is going to take a hit to its profit. I do not deny that, and I do not apologize for it. And as it does, that eats up some of the proposed increase in cost.”