On the recordJuly 10, 2012
I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this weekend back home in Lincoln, Nebraska, at a small business, a shop owner named Mary and another woman were engaged in conversation. She looked up when they were done and saw me, and she said, Oh, I can ask you this question, Who is going to pay for this health care bill? I basically responded, Yes, that's the right question. Right now, we are seeing some benefits from some reasonable reforms, such as being able to keep children on the health care policies of their parents until they're 26, such as allowing people who have significant pre-existing conditions some hope for affordable insurance. But there are other hard realities that must be faced here. This bill shifts costs to more unsustainable government spending. It cuts Medicare, and it erodes health care liberties. The total cost is now projected to be $1.7 trillion, and it has 21 new taxes in it. Many small businesses are going to actually drop coverage or cut jobs as this moves forward. Mr. Speaker, there is a better way to move forward. We need the right type of reform that will actually improve outcomes while reducing costs and protecting vulnerable persons.
