Michael Burgess

The old Willie Sutton law, you rob banks because that is where the money is, clearly it should apply here.

Data suggest that duals are sicker when they are hospitalized, that their costs are almost 10 percent greater, and they have more episodes of avoidable hospitalization.

In no other area is the lack of coordination at the federal level more apparent than when we deal with people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Certainly, better alignment of Medicare and Medicaid is needed.

Last year's events in Michigan and California were tragic reminders that safely upkeeping our nation's energy infrastructure is an ongoing process, and we must be diligent in protecting the lives of those around pipelines.

ACOs, while perhaps not my individual favorite, may have been a bipartisan approach to bringing down the cost of delivering health care in this country.

A central planner, who may be a very benevolent central planner, but a central planner who is pushing data points around on a big spreadsheet in a far-off Washington, D.C.

You told Ms. Blackburn that no more statutory or legislative interference was necessary, but I would submit to you that perhaps we do need to amend this sacred document to allow clinics more time to analyze what you are going to put…

But, just to be clear, we have a hard deadline, do we not, in the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act of January 1, 2012?

But just to set the record straight, everyone in this town loves to blame all the problems of the world on the previous administration.

It is an extremely important issue, the FDA guidance documents that are under development by the agency and how the streamlining process is going to impact those.

I would submit to you that perhaps we do need to amend this sacred document to allow clinics more time to analyze what you are going to put forward.

Texas was the only State singled for that. In the Wall Street Journal article that I will submit for the record, they call it 'pure political revenge, an effort intimidate other States from joining Texas in lawsuits.'

This was the result of an error that escaped the EPA's notice for 18 years.

A central planner who is pushing data points around on a big spreadsheet in a far-off Washington, D.C., is going to be able to tell me where to get my care.

This is the only plan put out there for dealing with the cost increases in the Medicare program over time.

We are trying to figure out what to do with the sustainable growth rate formula.

Doctors should be in the driver's seat with ACOs. If they are going to really deliver on the promise--as a patient, I want my doctor to be in charge.

Everyone in this town loves to blame all the problems of the world on the previous administration.

I understand the use of regulations to ensure safety and to promote the predictability of the market, but you must know that, every day, people come to Washington to tell their Congressman or -woman their fears about the avalanche of…

What is hard to understand is how the administration wants to continue to be anti-employer and, at the same time, be pro-jobs.

That is why so many of us really like the concept of people being able to control their own money for health care expenditures.

Actually, the reason to have a high-deductible health plan and spend your own money and control your own money through a health savings account is to be in control of health care.

The Affordable Care Act was the transformational law that brought protection to patients across the United States' healthcare system.

I don't know how many times we are going to hear over and over about the same thing.