Rob Andrews: “I thank my friend for yielding. It is right and good that people should passionately pursue their points of view in…”

“I thank my friend for yielding. It is right and good that people should passionately pursue their points of view in democratic debate. But it's also our obligation to work from the same set of facts. I have sat here and listened to my friends for the better part of an hour, and I do think it's important that we reflect a correct record on a lot of things, first of all, about the deficit. We have a neutral referee here on questions about spending and taxes called the Congressional Budget Office, and several Members on the other side have approvingly quoted what the CBO says on different things. Here is what the CBO says about this law: Repealing this law will add at least $100 billion to the deficit. Now, our friends disagree with that, but the referee that they hired, that we live by, says repeal of the law adds $100 billion to the deficit. We hear that health insurance premiums have gone up by an average of $3,000 per year. I don't know the source of that claim. Someone should share that with us. But I do know this: the cost-control strategies in the new law which involve the establishment of a competitive insurance market so the insurance companies don't have huge market control hasn't taken effect yet and doesn't take effect until January 1 of 2014. This is characterized as government control of health care.…”