Comer: Democrats' Socialized Healthcare Scheme a Bad Deal for Americans

Hearing

House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) opened today's hearing on the Democrats' socialized medicine scheme by blasting Democrats for looking for more ways to grow entitlement spending instead of conducting oversight to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. He emphasized Republicans' investigation into Medicaid reveals Democrat policies, such as Medicaid expansion and removing eligibility checks, have increased improper payment rates in the program. Ranking Member Comer also outlined how the Democrats' Medicare for All proposal will gut quality healthcare coverage, ration care, increase waiting lines, and stall medical innovation. He concluded by outlining how Republicans are identifying solutions to improve the healthcare system and lower costs for families and small businesses.

Below are Ranking Member Comer's remarks as prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney. And thank you to our panel for their testimony today.

Keeping with the majority's pattern this Congress, today's hearing is not an oversight hearing.

It is not a hearing that will bring transparency or accountability to the Executive Branch.

It is not a hearing to find ways to save taxpayer dollars--especially as Americans toil under growing inflation.

Instead, today's hearing is an attempt to find more ways to spend taxpayer dollars and expand the reach of the federal government.

It is a hearing to grow massive entitlement spending, this time by pushing for government-run healthcare.

With inflation at a 40-year high, Americans are struggling to afford essential items like food and medicine.

Since day one of his Administration, President Biden's policies have crippled America's energy independence.

Gas prices have skyrocketed. In California, gas prices are over $6 per gallon.

Meanwhile, fentanyl is streaming across the southern border unchecked.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 45. Children are also being hit hard by the fentanyl crisis with reports daily about accidental overdoses.

Yet my Democrat colleagues refuse to look into any of these issues.

The mission of the Oversight Committee is to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. But Democrats keep finding new ways to use the tools of the Committee to spend even more taxpayer money.

Instead of looking for ways to expand government, Oversight Committee Republicans have been conducting our own investigation in the healthcare space on Medicaid improper payments.

And what we've found is disturbing.

Documents obtained during the investigation shows that Democrat policies, such as Medicaid expansion and removing eligibility checks, have increased improper payment rates in the program.

In fact, improper payments are so rampant the most recent data shows that more than 1 out of every 5 Medicaid payments are improper. That's about $87 billion dollars in taxpayer money being misused in one fiscal year alone.

Why aren't we holding a hearing on that?

Instead, this hearing is about further expanding Obamacare and moving the United States closer to socialized medicine.

Medicare for All will gut quality healthcare coverage, in favor of waiting lines, rationed care, and stalled medical innovation.

Medicare for All will cancel first-rate health plans for millions of workers, children, and seniors in favor of giving D.C. politicians unlimited control over your healthcare.

Evidence around the world shows socialized medicine causes long lines for treatment, decreases innovation, and empowers the government to decide who lives and who dies.

It also enables systems that benefit the rich who can afford private insurance to bypass government wait lists.

Democrats have seen the polling and know the American people don't want Medicare for All.

So, Democrats have worked to hide their end goal from the American people, using terms like "Medicare for all who want it" and "Public Options" when in reality these are just stepping stones to socialized medicine.

But no amount of Washington spin can change the fact that socialized medicine is a bad deal for the American people.

Americans recognize the frightening attempts at government takeover of health care for what they are--bans on good healthcare plans at work, eradicating Medicare for seniors as we know it, and doubling everyone's taxes.

And voters will reject it.

When they do, Republicans stand committed to working together to improve the broken status quo and lower healthcare costs for families and small businesses.

Republicans, through the Healthy Future Task Force, are already working to develop common sense proposals to increase competition, encourage investment in new cures and therapies, protect access to care for all Americans, and ensure patients remain in control of their healthcare.

But Republicans know, centralizing control in D.C. and continuing to limit access and choice for patients, is an awfully bad starting point for Democrats.

Republicans will continue to fight Democrats' takeover of healthcare through common sense solutions to increase the availability of affordable care for all Americans, while ensuring we remain the global leader in health care innovation.

With that Madam Chair, I yield back.

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