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House health care reform vote slated Saturday

By Mary Madewell

Published November 06, 2009

U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, said Thursday he will vote “no” on the Democrat-backed health care reform package expected to come before the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday.

Democrats have expressed optimism when it comes time to vote, they will have the majority needed to prevail in the 435-seat House.

Asked by the Associated Press on Thursday if she had the votes, Speaker Nancy Pelosi replied: “We will.”

Hall said he has strong reservations to a plan that includes a government-run option, costs more than $1 trillion, cuts Medicare by $500 billion, increases taxes by more than $700 billion, does not exclude federal funding of abortions, and could lead to the loss of 5 million more jobs.

“The Democrats’ bill seeks to achieve universal health care coverage through a government-run plan, government subsidies, higher costs for families, small businesses, and senior citizens, and through a massive expansion of the federal deficit,” Hall said. “This partisan bill was crafted behind closed doors and ignores constituents’ concerns voiced at numerous town hall meetings held over the past months.”

On Oct. 29 the House Democratic Leadership introduced H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The 1,990-page bill is expected to cost a minimum of $1.055 trillion over the next 10 years and will likely increase after the first decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

On the Senate side, Democrats waited for the Congressional Budget Office to weigh in on a bill written by Majority Leader Harry Reid in consultation with the White House and key committee chairmen. Senate votes could slip until next year, but in the House Democratic leaders pressed forward.

H.R. 3962 will increase premium costs for families and employers, cut Medicare benefits and will increase the federal deficit, Hall said. The plan includes an employer mandate of acceptable coverage or imposes up to an 8 percent payroll tax, and it also imposes a new $153 billion surtax on small businesses.

The bill would not explicitly deny the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, and it lacks language that would ensure illegal immigrants would be excluded from receiving government-run health care benefits, Hall said.

Pelosi and other Democratic leaders Thursday were finalizing language to bar federal funding of abortion, but did not plan to change language concerning illegal immigrants, according to The Associated Press.

Hall said he backs a Republican plan.

“The Republican alternative takes a commonsense approach to health care reform,” Hall said. “It seeks to rein in health care costs and reduce health care premiums for families and small businesses to make health care more affordable for more Americans — without cutting Medicare, without increasing taxes, without causing job losses and without adding to the federal deficit. It also explicitly prohibits all federal funds from being used to pay for abortions.”

The Congressional Budget Office stated that the House Republican bill would reduce the deficit by $68 billion over 10 years and would reduce health insurance premiums for small businesses, individuals and employer coverage. The main provisions of the Republican bill include Association Health Plans and allowing states to establish interstate compacts, a State Innovations grant program to provide incentives to reduce premiums or reduced the uninsured, increased federal funding for high-risk pools and reinsurance programs, and improvements to Health Savings Accounts.

“Our goal is to reach as many Americans as possible who want and need health care coverage by making this affordable – by attracting competition between insurers, not by government mandates,” Hall said. “The Republican bill is a step in the right direction. As the Speaker and the House Democrats push for a government overhaul of the health care system, I will continue to listen to my constituents and support reform that protects their best interests.”