Moran's Statement Following Speaker Pelosi's Release of Updated Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jerry Moran today commented on Speaker Pelosi's release of H.R. 3962, an updated version of the House Democrats' health care reform bill. This bill expands on different versions of H.R. 3200, the original health care legislation reported in July by the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor committees.

"Today, Speaker Pelosi unveiled an updated version of the House Democrats' health care reform bill. I am still reviewing the nearly 2,000 pages of this bill. However, from the details that I have seen, this bill appears to be essentially the same as the version the Speaker started with months ago. This bill would turn much of our health care delivery system on its head by creating a new government-sponsored health care program financed by long-term deficit spending and new taxes.

"This bill seeks to expand insurance coverage by levying taxes on businesses, cutting Medicare benefits, eliminating jobs with an employer mandate, and enabling bureaucrats to define what forms of health coverage are acceptable for Americans.

"History demonstrates that a government-run health care program will be significantly more expensive than its proponents claim. All the experience we have of health entitlement programs is that they end up costing much more than estimated, adding to our debt and the burden on taxpayers.

"While I strongly disagree with the legislation proposed today by Speaker Pelosi, I remain committed to seeking positive change in our health care delivery system. This bill is not a good starting point, but I hope that Democrat leadership will allow all members in the House the opportunity to participate in this important debate and I will seek to offer amendments to this proposal.

"Instead of turning our entire system on its head, we need to start with common-sense reforms that reduce costs. Costs are lowered through reforms that eliminate unnecessary spending, not by growing government. I support medical liability reform; permitting the sale of insurance across state lines; establishing high risk pools and reinsurance pools to address pre-existing conditions; an increased emphasis on wellness and disease prevention; providing tax incentives to low-income families to retain or purchase private health insurance; incentivizing health care savings for individuals and families; implementation of health information technology; and training more medical professionals and encouraging them to practice in underserved areas."

To review H.R. 3962, the text of the legislation is posted online at http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf.

Moran is Chairman of the House Rural Health Care Coalition and co-founder of the Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition.