Transcript:
“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank all the Members of this body for a spirited, respectful debate on this critical issue. “Both sides of the aisle have very different viewpoints on what government’s role in health care should be.
“If there is one thing we do agree on, it’s that this health care law needs improvement. The president himself said as much yesterday.
“Why does it need improvement? Just look at the facts.
“Yesterday, 200 economists and experts put out a letter calling ObamaCare ‘a barrier to job growth.’
“The letter talks about how employers are struggling to keep up with all the mandates and tax hikes in this law, flooding the job market with additional uncertainty.
“The one thing the American people wanted out of health care reform was lower costs, which the authors of this law promised, but did not deliver.
“According to these economists – this law will increase spending by $1 trillion dollars – that’s ‘at a minimum’ – and add nearly $1.5 trillion to the deficit.
“So if we agree this law needs improving, why would we keep it on the books?
“Why would we keep one hand tied behind our backs when we’re dealing with near 10 percent unemployment and a $14 trillion debt?
“If we can do better, then let’s do better.
“Let me be clear about what repealing this health care law means for families, small businesses, and taxpayers:
“Repeal means preventing more than $770 billion in tax hikes and eliminating all the mandates and penalties so that small businesses can grow and hire new workers.
“Repeal means reducing spending by $540 billion, another step in tackling the massive debt that faces our kids and grandkids.
“Repeal means protecting more than 7 million seniors from losing or being denied the Medicare Advantage coverage they like.
“Repeal means paving the way for better solutions that will lower costs without destroying jobs or bankrupting our government.
“And repeal means keeping a promise.
“This is what we said we would do. We listened to the people – we made a commitment to them – a pledge to make their priorities our priorities.
“When you look at the facts… When you listen to the people… This is a promise worth keeping.
“Let’s stop payment on this check before it can destroy more jobs and put us in an even deeper hole.
“Then let’s work together to put in place reforms that lower costs without destroying jobs or bankrupting this government.
“Let’s challenge ourselves to do better.”
Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-06):
Transcript:
Mr. Speaker,Today, we’re debating the repeal of economically damaging legislation that punishes job creators and does nothing to control rising healthcare costs. We can’t afford the $1.2 trillion price tag on the government-takeover of health care while our national debt stands at $14 trillion.Today we can right a serious wrong and still achieve the goals we share, like ensuring access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans, real healthcare reforms that control costs, and ensuring that Americans with pre-existing conditions get the care they need at a price they can afford.In my district in eastern and southeastern Ohio, more than 26,000 senior citizens currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage are at risk of losing this program because of the $200 billion in cuts to Medicare required by the job-destroying healthcare law.Later today, we will vote to repeal government takeover, giving us the opportunity to start over and enact real patient-focused healthcare reforms.I yield back the remainder of my time.
Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-18):
Statement:
“Today, I voted to repeal the Democrats’ flawed healthcare plan because it does nothing to fix the problem of high cost healthcare in America. Instead, ObamaCare actually raises the cost to consumers by driving up premiums, adding over $700 billion to the deficit, and destroying 1.6 million American jobs. Today we voted to stop this.
“We must reform the healthcare process, but the public has told us time and time again, ‘We don’t like this bill.’ We must replace it with a common-sense plan that will actually lower costs and increase access to more options for quality insurance for every American.
“I believe we should adopt initiatives that would encourage providers to offer higher-quality care at lower costs; reduce the cost pressures that threaten to bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid, states and families; provide meaningful tort reform; allow patients to be in control of their healthcare; include greater flexibility for Health Savings Accounts; and grant consumers portability to carry insurance across state lines.
“ObamaCare’s new taxes, mandates, regulations and government programs are fiscally dangerous at a moment when the United States is already facing a sea of red ink. Today’s repeal cuts $540 billion in government spending and stops $770 billion in job-destroying tax hikes, allowing us to promote job growth and help to restore the federal government to fiscal balance.”
Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05):
“Over the past two years, a majority of Americans have made it clear that they opposed the Democrats’ plan for the government takeover of our nation’s health care system. They opposed the non-transparent process under which it was passed and the policies it produced after being signed into law.
During those same two years, House Republicans promised the American people that one of the first actions we would take with a Republican majority would be to repeal this legislation. Today’s vote did just that, and I was proud to cast my ‘yes’ vote for full repeal.
Now the real work begins as the House makes good on another promise to replace the Democrats’ takeover of our nation’s health care system with meaningful health care reform that Americans actually want. We will obtain public input to accomplish this, which was absent over the past two years. These improved policies will bring health care costs down, remove government intrusion and bureaucracy, and expand access to coverage.
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Health Subcommittee, we have direct jurisdiction over these reforms and I look forward to being a part of this effort.”
