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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dent's Speech Against Trillion Dollar Health Overhaul

LV Congressman Charlie Dent is one of the House Republicans who unanimously opposed the trillion dollar health care overhaul passed last night. Because of the limitations on debate, he was unable to deliver a floor speech in person, but was permitted to submit a statement explaining his opposition.

Undeniably, health care reform is needed. Families and businesses are struggling to keep up with rising insurance premiums. Thousands of constituents in my district do not have access to affordable insurance because of skyrocketing costs. An increasing number of Americans are impacted by policies that preclude individuals with pre-existing conditions from securing insurance. Patients are frustrated with the difficulty of navigating the health care system and insurance bureaucracy. We have all experienced our doctors practicing defensive medicine – ordering unnecessary tests and procedures in an effort to ward off frivolous lawsuits. Poor reimbursement rates mean that doctors cannot afford to place an emphasis on prevention and wellness.

The consequences of reform are profound for families, our economy and the future of our country. Reform policies will have a direct impact on the lives of all Americans and the budgets of every household. These changes will affect one-sixth of our economy. Done right, we will lift burdens that are holding employers back from growing and revitalizing our economy. Done wrong, jobs will be lost and 10 percent unemployment will become the norm rather than the exception. Health care expenditures make up an increasing percentage of state and federal spending. Addressing health-care costs is vital to the long term economic health of the United States.

I support reform. I have advocated for deliberate policies that will reduce the cost and increase the quality of health care, provide all Americans with the opportunity to obtain affordable health insurance, give patients more control over their health care decisions, and promote innovations and wellness initiatives that lead to cures.

I oppose the bill before us today because it will increase health care costs for Americans and bend the curve of health care spending in the wrong direction; it will create a new trillion dollar entitlement program that the bill does not realistically address how we will afford; and it will impede economic growth, particularly in our district.

Above all else, health care reform must address the escalating health care costs that are crippling American families and overall, slow our nation’s healthcare spending. This bill does not accomplish those critical objectives. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), premiums will increase by 10 to 13 percent for families who are purchasing health insurance in the individual market. This amounts to more than $2,000 a year for a family. In addition, the CBO indicates that H.R. 3590, which will be the law of the land if we pass it today, will increase the federal budgetary commitment to health care by more than $200 billion over the next decade. If the reconciliation package (H.R. 4872) is also signed into law, the combined budgetary impact on health care spending will be $390 billion. American families can’t afford that increase and neither can our country.

Moreover, this bill creates an unsustainable new entitlement program at the expense of seniors who will be impacted by more than half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts and all Americans who will pay higher health care costs and more than half a trillion dollars in increased taxes, fees and penalties. The bill uses ten years of taxes and Medicare cuts in order to pay for six years of programs. Overall, in the first ten years of full implementation (2014 to 2023), the health care package will result in more than $2.6 trillion in spending. Although the CBO estimated the overall deficit reduction will be $124 billion over ten years, in its analysis the CBO cautioned that its long-term deficit projections
“reflect an assumption that the key provisions of the reconciliation proposal and H.R. 3590 are enacted and remain unchanged throughout the next two decades, which is often not the case for major legislation. For example, the sustainable growth rate mechanism governing Medicare’s payments to physicians has frequently been modified to avoid reductions in those payments, and legislation to do so again is currently under consideration by the Congress.”
House Leadership has already said it will consider a bill to address the physician payment issue. Just that policy alone will cost $200 billion, which is not reflected in the CBO score.

Finally, this bill will have an immediate impact on economic growth. New taxes and regulations will lead to lower wages, lost jobs and decreased investment. Employers with more than 50 employees who do not provide health insurance coverage that is deemed “acceptable” by federal standards will be saddled with a tax of up to $2,000 per employee. The bill will levy a tax of as much as 2.5 percent of household income on Americans who do not comply with the individual mandate, which requires all Americans to maintain acceptable coverage. Many investors will face a new tax of 3.8 percent that will be imposed on capital gains, dividends, interest, rents, royalties and other investment income. This tax coupled with scheduled rate increases will lead to a top rate of 23.8 percent for capital gains and 43.4 percent for dividends.

We will feel the impact close to home. A 2.3 percent medical device tax will increase the cost of medical devices – everything from tongue depressors to wheelchairs – and discourage the development of critical new medical innovations. Specifically, this tax will impact businesses in our district imperiling jobs; curtailing advanced research and innovation; reducing purchasing from Pennsylvania vendors; and hampering investment in capital equipment. The ripple effect on our economy and on working families will be far greater than the sum of the tax. And ultimately, patients will see increased costs as a result.

Just yesterday, I offered two amendments to the Rules Committee that would have reduced the negative impacts of H.R. 3590. The first amendment would have inserted common-sense medical liability reforms. Specifically, the amendment would enact nationwide reforms aimed at ending the costly practice of defensive medicine and encourage states to adopt effective alternative medical liability laws that will reduce the number of health care lawsuits that are litigated and the average amount of time taken to resolve lawsuits, and reduce the cost of malpractice insurance. The provisions would save our country billions of dollars and reduce national healthcare spending. The second amendment would have struck the ill-advised medical device tax that a company in my district has dubbed the “death tax” because it will increase their tax burden by 77 percent, raising their effective tax rate to over 73%. This is an innovation tax that will mean less investment in research and development that leads to medical innovations. Unfortunately the leadership of the House would not allow these important amendments to be debated on the House floor today.

I regret very much where we are today and wish that bipartisan efforts to address the shortcomings of our system – access and affordability – while building on our strengths – choice, quality and innovation had prevailed.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would Congress's boldest voice be forbidden from making a floor speech??? Is even the GOP hopelessly in awe of Chuckles' countless legislative accomplishments and legendary leadership?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Dent has been out front on this issue from the beginning. Callahan has been playing dodgebill.

You can thank House Democrats for his inability to deliver a speech bc they controlled the debate. You can also thank them for not having the courage to stand up and face the people and publicly declare how they voted. You can also thank them for attempting to get away with a deem and pass sleight of hand until even their own members started saying this is wrong.

Anonymous said...

He's on the wrong side of history and out of touch with regular middle class people.

Bernie O'Hare said...

He voted against an arrogant and condescending piece of legislation that will bankrupt us and is opposed by most Americans, and he's out of touch?

House Democrats ignored not only Republicans; they ignored the people.

Anonymous said...

Both Republicans and Democrats ignored Chuckles Dent tonight. Face it, Bernie, nobody cares what your favorite empty suit has to say.

(Not that the GOP had to listen to his statement; after all, they wrote it for him in the first place.)

Bernie O'Hare said...

The reference to Charlie Dent as an "empty suit" betrays your complete ignorance concerning him. That myth was dispelled several years ago. But go ahead, learn the hard way.

Anonymous said...

Charlie said nothing new in his speech. Thank God congress did the right thing and did not get caught up in anymore Republican deception.

By the way Bernie other than on Fox News the idea that a majority of the people are against this Bill depends on the questions asked and who presents them. The vast majority of Americans favor reform to the terrible situation we have today. When asked if they favor "Death Panels", they overwhelmingly hate them. Wow!!

Nothing new from Charlie, tort reform and don't upset Corporate America. That had to be one of the most canned Republican speeches ever. It could have been written two years ago.

Sometimes things never change. But on occasion Americans with courage make a difference.

Anonymous said...

96% of Americans favor insurance reform. Unfortunately, Dent is in the 4%

Anonymous said...

we'll find out in November how Americans feel about this bill. This is a lame duck congress

Anonymous said...

Wow. Last week Dent only had $463,000 from the insurance companies in bribes and one week later he's up to over $561,000.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/votes/house/finalhealthcare/?hpid=topnews

Imagine how much he could have made if Boehner ever let him speak!

Anonymous said...

...

-Transcript of Charlie Dent's epic floor speech last night. Oh, what a leader!

Anonymous said...

Dent's no vote just put him on the the fastrack to a career as a lobbyist or television salesman.

Anonymous said...

According to BOH, people don't want to rid ourselves of lifetime caps, yearly caps, denial for pre-existing conditions nor do they want to hold insurance companies accountable.

The opponents simply don't want to pay for someone else's healthcare. In their haze f thinking, they fail to realize they already are.

Hell, even Richard Millhouse Nixon wanted this program - in 1973.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I wonder if Charlie will further damage himself by siding with AIG and Goldman Sachs when Obama moves to financial reform next week.

Anonymous said...

Not everything has to make a profit. Sickness and death doesn't have to make a profit.

Anonymous said...

I very rarely agree with you Bernie but on this issue you are a hundred percent spot on we all no things need to change but to do it wrongly just to pat yourself on the back and say see i changed the nations health care is wrong. If this new plan is so great how come our politicians will not participate in it after all aren't we paying for their health care shouldn't we have a say in how our moneys spent i guess that would be too much CHANGE. hopefully this country will survive three more years of politicians who are out of touch with real people. For you people who say Charlie Dent is beholden to special interest groups they all are how do you dummies think this bill got passed all the politicians on the fence were promised back room deals, I saw a headline the other day that said after weeks of arm twisting and backroom deals health care reform is going forward.

Anonymous said...

how come our politicians will not participate in it

Huh? They keep their plan just like every other American currently lucky enough to have one.

Anonymous said...

Our politicans are participating in it already. The Congress and Senate get to choose their own insurance, they're not denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions, and they can't be dropped if they get sick, and it's paid for by the taxpayers. Now we're getting the same thing they get. The Republicans don't want the peasants to have the same thing they have. They think proper insurance is only for the political elite. Can you imagine if Congress had to buy private health insurance like we do? All those old men? They'd all be rejected!

Anonymous said...

This was always an abortion bill aimed at securing what had been on very shaky legal and scientific ground. It's a huge win for abortion supporters. Charlie has to see that silver lining. And with the bill's expansion of benefits to illegals, and the upcoming amnesty bill provisions, expanding abortion will be critical to protecting the new system from skyrocketing costs associated with too many participants. We can't afford unrestricted care for families averaging eight children vs. 2.3. Expanded and encouraged abortion will mitigate some of this potential cost disaster.

Anonymous said...

I think it's awful that the Dems allowed over 200 changes to the legislation to appease the Republicans and not one voted for it. None of their followers will even appreciate, too busy marching, throwing bricks, spitting on Congressmen and calling them "n###ers" and "fa$$ots" It was wasted conciliation.

Anonymous said...

80% of bankruptcies are people with health insurance that go bankrupt because of medical bills. No other country has that problem crippling their economy or their citizens. Why is that? I guess they don't have enough freedom, freedom to go bankrupt and lose your house because you're sick.

Anonymous said...

Any forward looking, progressive plan that opens up benefits to millions of lower earners must logically contain methods to keep their breeding in check. A welfare state is incompatible with an open borders policy. In the absence of a plan to eliminate either, it's best to undertake preventive "culling" in an effort to maintain fiscal sanity and a larger quality of life. It's a good bill.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"The vast majority of Americans favor reform to the terrible situation we have today."

Sure, so does Charlie. But that monstrosity is not really reform. It will bankrupt us, drive medical costs up, and result in a loss of jobs. It pretty much defeats the purpose of "reform."

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Wow. Last week Dent only had $463,000 from the insurance companies in bribes and one week later he's up to over $561,000."

And Alyson Schwartz, a Pa. Dem who voted for the bill, has neary twice as much money. Does that make her corrupt, too, or is your whole argument just lousy to begin with?

Bernie O'Hare said...

"I think it's awful that the Dems allowed over 200 changes to the legislation to appease the Republicans"

All along, Rs had some ideas that even Obama agreed with, but that were left out, along with the Rs. You are taking Pelosi's wiord for it when she says that Ds incorporated 200 R suggestions. I frankly do not believe that.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"80% of bankruptcies are people with health insurance that go bankrupt because of medical bills."

And this bill will result in just higher costs to consumers and taxpayers until the whole system comes crashing down. It's a trainwreck.

Anonymous said...

The hell with Dent. He needs to be voted out of office for being an unfeeling, uncaring stooge for the worst and most base elements of the Republican Tea Bag Party.

Anonymous said...

Wow Ohare, since 64% of bankruptcy is due to medical expenses, you would think that would be enough to move these heartless bastards.
The wild thing is of those 64% of Americans, 75% had health insurance. Please read again!!

I have insurance Ohare but what we have in America today is sinful. Maybe you do have to destroy the village in order to save it.

Let the Republicans repeal health care and explain to the people how they are helping them.

Bernie O'Hare said...

How about by enacting true health care reform that goes after the rising costs? This bill doesn't do it.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, Looks like you ticked off the Callahan campaign with this post. Keep up the accountability. For someone who wants to be a representative, to take a stand AFTER the vote has happen is the highest example of political cowardice i have ever seen.

Anonymous said...

"Maybe you do have to destroy the village in order to save it."

Now we get the real reasons Pelosi liberals like Callahan wanted this to pass. The easiest route to single payer, is by corrupting the market system with taxes and mandates, and then blaming it when the system is unsustainable.

Anonymous said...

A victory for people, even those without brains.