OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

State Health Care Premium Reduction Act

Floor Speech

Date: June 29, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health Insurance Science Health and Health Care

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Mr. BUCSHON. Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to echo all the points made by Mr. Walden in his opening statement.

A decade ago, ObamaCare became the law of the land. This massive, near government takeover of our Nation's healthcare system came full of empty promises.

President Obama and Congressional Democrats famously promised Americans that if you liked your doctor, you can keep your doctor. That turned out not to be true. Millions of Americans lost access to their doctors as insurances have resorted to narrowing networks.

And instead of seeing premiums decrease by $2,500, as President Obama promised, American families have seen premiums and deductibles skyrocket. Americans deserve an accessible and affordable healthcare system that promotes quality care and peace of mind, not a system that is a downpayment on socialized, one-size-fits-all single-payer healthcare system that would put the government in charge of one of the most personal decisions families will ever make.

Rather than working to find bipartisan solutions for patients, Democrats are choosing to double-down on ObamaCare's biggest flaws. I will focus on drug pricing.

They are planning to give Washington the power to set drug prices. Well, we know that nonpartisan analysis has determined that this would result in fewer medicines being developed and fewer cures.

As a physician, I have had to share bad news with families. I know all too well that by eliminating just one new drug, how devastating that would be. What if that new drug was a cure for Alzheimer's, sickle cell anemia, cancer, ALS, or maybe even a vaccine for COVID-19?

If Democrats want to get serious about addressing our Nation's healthcare problems and lowering prescription drug prices, a good place to start would be H.R. 19, bipartisan legislation that would lower out- of-pocket spending, protect access to new and innovative cures, and increase transparency.

We can turn America's healthcare system around with common sense, patient-centered solutions. Sadly, H.R. 1425 puts the Federal Government at the center, not the patient.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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