Roy Blunt: “I thank the doctor for his leadership on this issue during the debate on the health care law itself and right up to now…”

“I thank the doctor for his leadership on this issue during the debate on the health care law itself and right up to now, the second anniversary of it being signed into law. Certainly Missouri voters were the first voters who went to the polling place and registered their views on this. As I recall, 72 percent said they did not want to be a part of it. The famous comment made on the other side of the building by the Speaker--we will know what is in the bill once we pass it--has proven to be very true and not very positive from the point of view of that bill. The Senator from Wyoming and Senator Grassley have talked about the promises made already--the promise not to touch Medicare, the promise that if you like what you have, you can keep it--surely nobody can say that with a straight face anymore--and the promise during the campaign that there wouldn't be a mandate. Four years ago this was the big division of the two principal candidates for the nomination on that side. Senator Obama's view was that there would be no mandate, that there was no need for a mandate. In fact, at one point he said that having a mandate would be like solving homelessness by mandating that everybody buy a house. Now, that is not my quote, that is President Obama's quote when he was Senator Obama--having a mandate on health care would be like solving the housing problem by saying we are going to require that everybody buy a house. This plan does not work. It doesn't come together.…”