On the recordMarch 21, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the ladies and gentlemen of the House should respect our constituents who are against the bill, who are for the bill, and those who are undecided; but we should respect them enough to give them an accurate record of what's in the bill, and I think it's time for some accuracy. We have heard repeatedly tonight that there are cuts to Medicare in this bill. There is not one cut to not one beneficiary anywhere in this bill. Medicare benefits expand for prescription drugs and expand for preventive care. We heard someone say that the bill increases premiums for Americans. Section 1001 of the reconciliation bill says that for a family making $45,000 a year, if you look at their premiums, their copays and their deductibles, which is what real people have to do, the bill saves them $7,000 a year. We have heard that the special interest provisions, that I think are an abomination, are in the bill. They are not. If you read section 1201 of the reconciliation bill, it says goodbye to the so-called Cornhusker kickback and other special interest provisions. We heard that there is taxpayer funding for abortions. Read section 10,104 of the underlying bill. There isn't. We have heard that this is going to add to the deficit and the debt of the country.
