On the recordMarch 16, 2010
The American people want health reform. They want affordable, reliable care. But after watching the current majority wrangle for over a year to produce gargantuan bills filled with complicated and punitive policies, tax increases and special deals, the American people are right to say, no, we don't trust the current Congress to do this right. They have seen how the Congress has worked over the past year and have rightfully said that it's crazy to give the government greater control over our health care. They look at aspects of the legislation before us and say, yes, there are provisions here that we like, but at what cost? They have projected trillion-dollar deficits stretching to the horizon. And we are told that this big, new entitlement will truly restrain costs. Is that credible? I believe the more sensible approach is a simpler approach. I would favor expanding health savings accounts coupled with catastrophic insurance and paid for with subsidies when necessary. It is a simple arrangement that everyone can understand and would help to restrain costs because everyone would have incentives to spend carefully. Instead, the current majority is pushing ahead with a breathtakingly expensive bureaucratic and regulatory monstrosity. This is no way to restructure one-sixth of our economy.
