November 5, 2009
As you know, the issue of health care reform is being hotly debated
in the halls of Congress and throughout America. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi is bringing the latest version of the health care bill to the
floor of the House of Representatives this week. At more than $1
trillion and nearly 2,000 pages, H.R. 3962 is considered by many to
be the antithesis of patient-centered reforms that would empower
Americans to own and control their health coverage. This bill has
the potential to limit choices, competition, and the possibilities
for innovation. Conversely, I support health care reform that will
ensure that America remains competitive in the 21st Century by
making our system more portable, affordable, sustainable, effective
and innovative.
I will be making my concerns known today, November 5 at noon on the
West Front steps of the U.S. Capitol (House side), where I will join
my Republican colleagues, as well as Americans from across the
nation, for a House Call on Washington.
Given the significant changes to our health care system which would
take place if this piece of legislation is enacted, I want to ensure
that you have access to a copy of this bill, as well as the summary
and report of H.R. 3962 compiled by the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO), and a reading guide to the legislation.
The text of H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act as
introduced can be found here:
http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf
The CBO Report of H.R. 3962 can be found
here:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10688/hr3962Rangel.pdf
I would also like to point out some sections that I thought you
might find of particular interest, as noted by this reading guide:
Page 94—Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual
health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to
purchase coverage through the federal government
Page 110—Section 222(e) requires the use of federal dollars to fund
abortions through the government-run health plan—and, if the Hyde
Amendment were ever not renewed, would require the plan to fund
elective abortions
Page 111—Section 223 establishes a new board of federal bureaucrats
(the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee”) to dictate the health
plans that all individuals must purchase—and would likely require
all Americans to subsidize and purchase plans that cover any
abortion
Page 211—Section 321 establishes a new government-run health plan
that, according to non-partisan actuaries at the Lewin Group, would
cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their existing
coverage
Page 225—Section 330 permits—but does not require—Members of
Congress to enroll in government-run health care
Page 255—Section 345 includes language requiring verification of
income for individuals wishing to receive federal health care
subsidies under the bill—while the bill includes a requirement for
applicants to verify their citizenship, it does not include a
similar requirement to verify applicants’ identity, thus encouraging
identity fraud for undocumented immigrants and others wishing to
receive taxpayer-subsidized health benefits
Page 297 - Section 501 imposes a 2.5 percent tax on all individuals
who do not purchase “bureaucrat-approved” health insurance - the tax
would apply on individuals with incomes under $250,000
Page 313—Section 512 imposes an 8 percent “tax on jobs” for firms
that cannot afford to purchase “bureaucrat-approved” health
coverage; according to an analysis by Harvard Professor Kate Baicker,
such a tax would place millions “at substantial risk of
unemployment”—with minority workers losing their jobs at twice the
rate of their white counterparts
Page 336—Section 551 imposes additional job-killing taxes, in the
form of a half-trillion dollar “surcharge,” more than half of which
will hit small businesses; according to a model developed by
President Obama’s senior economic advisor, such taxes could cost up
to 5.5 million jobs
Page 520—Section 1161 cuts more than $150 billion from Medicare
Advantage plans, potentially jeopardizing millions of seniors’
existing coverage
Page 733—Section 1401 establishes a new Center for Comparative
Effectiveness Research; the bill includes no provisions preventing
the government-run health plan from using such research to deny
access to life-saving treatments on cost grounds, similar to
Britain’s National Health Service, which denies patient treatments
costing more than £35,000
Page 1174 - Section 1802(b) includes provisions entitled “TAXES ON
CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES” to fund comparative effectiveness
research, breaking Speaker Pelosi’s promise that “We will not be
taxing [health] benefits in any bill that passes the House.”
Thank you for taking time to listen to my concerns with this
legislation. Should you have any further questions or comments about
this or any legislative issue, please do not hesitate to contact me
in my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-4465. Also, please visit
my website at www.house.gov/garrett to sign up for my e-newsletter
with the latest updates. |