On the recordJanuary 13, 2010
I know that when I went out in my district--I know that Members going across their districts, across this country have found the same questions being asked, Where does it say that? Especially a question, as the gentleman from Texas has mentioned, that under this bill that was passed by the House that there was a $2.5 percent, quote-unquote, fine on individuals, plus that individual mandate that you have to have it or civil or criminal penalties could be imposed. How can we do that? You know, it's unfathomable that this would be able to withstand a challenge in court that an individual would be forced to have to do this. Again, I think if you just read this little document, you are going to be very hard pressed to find it. If I could just mention--and also what the gentleman from Texas was talking about--what it's going to do to the States. In the Columbus Dispatch, there was an article that broke it down for the State of Ohio. We are running about an $850 million deficit. And unlike this body, we have to balance our books. It is constitutional that we have to make sure that we're in balance. So Ohio is out of balance by about $850 million, but there was also a story by the Columbus Dispatch, in their calculation, that this bill would impose a Medicaid debt upon the State which would increase that deficit by another $900 million.
