Republican reply to Obama speech by Charles Boustany

Republican response to Obama's speech to Congress, by Rep. Charles Boustany Jr.,
as provided by the Republican Conference

Good evening. I’m Dr. Charles Boustany, and I’m proud to serve the people of Louisiana’s Seventh Congressional District. I’m also a heart surgeon with more than 20 years of experience, during which I saw first-hand the need for lowering health care costs.

Republicans are pleased that President Obama came to the Capitol tonight. We agree much needs to be done to lower the cost of health care for all Americans. On that goal, Republicans are ready – and we’ve been ready – to work with the President for common-sense reforms that our nation can afford.

Afford is an important word. Our country is facing many challenges. The cost of health care is rising. Federal spending is soaring. We’re piling huge debt on our children. And families and small businesses are struggling through a jobless recovery, with more than 2.4 million private-sector jobs lost since February.

It’s clear the American people want health care reform, but they want their elected leaders to get it right.  Most Americans wanted to hear the President tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the rest of Congress that it’s time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality. That’s what I heard over the past several months in talking to thousands of my constituents.

Replacing your family’s current health care with government-run health care is not the answer. In fact, it’ll make health care much more expensive. That’s not just my personal diagnosis as a doctor or a Republican; it’s the conclusion of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office – the neutral scorekeeper that determines the cost of major bills. 

I read the bill Democrats passed through committee in July. It creates 53 new government bureaucracies, adds hundreds of billions to our national debt, and raises taxes on job-creators by $600 billion. And, it cuts Medicare by $500 billion, while doing virtually nothing to make the program better for our seniors. 

The President had a chance tonight to take government-run health care off the table.  Unfortunately, he didn’t do it. 

We can do better, with a targeted approach that tackles the biggest problems. Here are four important areas where we can agree, right now:

One, all individuals should have access to coverage, regardless of preexisting conditions.

Two, individuals, small businesses and other groups should be able to join together to get health insurance at lower prices, the same way large businesses and labor unions do.

Three, we can provide assistance to those who still cannot access a doctor.

And, four, insurers should be able to offer incentives for wellness care and prevention – something particularly important to me. I operated on too many people who could have avoided surgery if they’d simply made healthier choices earlier in life.

We do have ideas the President hasn’t agreed with. We’re grateful the President mentioned medical liability reform, and we hope he’s serious. We need to establish tough liability reform standards, encourage speedy resolution of claims, and deter junk lawsuits that drive up the cost of care. Real reform must do this.

Let’s also talk about letting families and businesses buy insurance across state lines. I and many other Republicans believe that that will provide real choice and competition to lower the cost of health insurance.  Unfortunately, the President disagrees.
   
You can read more about all these reforms at healthcare.gop.gov. These are common-sense reforms we can achieve right away – without destroying jobs, exploding the deficit, rationing care, or taking away the freedom American families cherish. 

This Congress can pass meaningful reform soon to reduce some of the fear and anxiety families are feeling in these very difficult times. Working together in a bipartisan way, we can truly lower the cost of health care while improving quality for the American people. I’m Dr. Charles Boustany. Thanks for listening.    ###

Full text of President Obama's speech to Congress is now available here.

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Comments

[Kathy C]

Great ideas for a bi-partisan approach to healthcare coverage reform. I hope the Democratics are willing to take reasoned steps to improve healthcare coverage without destroying our economy. So far, they have seemed interested in gaining control rather than coming up with workable solutions that preserve our freedom.

[Jim Barg]

Right on Doc.! hope you get someone on the hill to listen to you.

[Alisha]

Sorry I don't buy it, your just scared that your going to loose those paid vacations and big bonuses for shoving medicine that does not work down our throats

[giant slor]

Obama said in the speech, "If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out." It took only a few minutes for the Republicans to begin--you guessed it--misrepresenting what's in the plan.

"Replacing your family’s current health care with government-run health care is not the answer."

"The President had a chance tonight to take government-run health care off the table. Unfortunately, he didn’t do it. "

These are lies. The health care bill does not include government-run health care. Even the government-run insurance plan (not the same as government-run health care) is purely optional.

Democrats have had it with Republican lies. It's apparent that Republicans don't even remember how to tell the truth, they've become so accustomed to casually tossing off lies. Democrats are going to redouble their efforts to, as Obama said, call out these lies. The Republicans have really shot themselves in the foot with Charles Boustany's ill-advised speech filled with lies.

[Jim]

Sounds great. And let's do all this right. If there's a private option, let's get rid of the public version. Let's close all public schools and universities, which fit the Republican definition of Socialism. There are private toll roads, so let's auction off our public roads. There's UPS and Fedex, so we don't need the Postal Service. Why spend $.47 cents (or thereabouts) to send a letter from Alaska to Florida when you could UPS it for $19.00. Because as loyal Republicans we know that public equals Socialism and that's a bad thing. I am going to spend the money I get back once we close all fire stations and I am going to flame retard the hell out of my apartment. I'm tired of subsidizing all your fire safety, you lazy communists.

[LA-renter]

Our healthcare system is so ridiculous. It appears sane only because we've lived with this insanity for so long.

Why is the U.S.A. the only industrialized nation that promotes for-profit medicine? Clearly, state-sponsored non-profit medicine works better for the rest of the world. Why not us?

I have no doubt that Dr. Boustany (when he's not practicing politics) is a good surgeon. But frankly his profession is part of the problem.

I do fear along with Dr. Boustany that a half-measured approach to nationalized healthcare will in the end cost more. Why? Because the profit-motives of insurance, hospitals and doctors will continue to leech us.

[Katie]

He is lying when he says that they will take your Insurance from you and make you go into the Government run system. So who is the liar now? And if Gov't run healthcare is SO bad then why do seniors have Medicare? Yes, there are flaws, nothing is perfect but if its good enough for our seniors why isn't it good enough for every citizen? Why doesn't Congress forgo their own health insurance and go among the real Americans who struggle everyday even with insurance? I guess only THEY deserve good heathcare, the rest of us be damned.

[JJ]

Some have the audacity to bring up the United States Postal Service in their argument for a public option on health care.

Jim wrote: "There's UPS and Fedex, so we don't need the Postal Service. Why spend $.47 cents (or thereabouts) to send a letter from Alaska to Florida when you could UPS it for $19.00."

I am taking Jim's comments as tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, but I must point out that using the United States Postal Service as an example of an effective Government run entity is quite funny. I reject the notion of bailouts for private corporate organizations and fully believe that the latest Government intervention will cause more long-term harm than good.

In a free market society, losses should be absorbed by investors and other market participants, but Government entity losses are only absorbed by taxpayers. Currently, the long term losses for these Government bailouts won't even be absorbed by the taxpayers of this generation, effectively delaying the pain for a future generation.

That being said, the USPS currently charges .47 to send a letter (and rising), but in fact the inefficiencies and low prices are racking up millions in losses that fall on taxpayers - 865 million just in the month of July. So, we can continue to live in the fantasy that the USPS is doing a great job by offering cheap postage, but to do so would be to the detriment of our future generations. Likely, any Government run health care system will do the same.

[Bill]

Sometimes it's not about doctors making money and getting nice long vacation. They are smart, they are doctors, they studied and paid a lot of money for their education. So what if they're making good money? you rather let the government take the your money than your doctor? Government want Power, Money, Control over you. Read the bill people and understand it. IT IS NOT OPTIONAL. Especially bad for the elderly, YOUR MOTHER, YOUR FATHER, YOUR AUNT, UNCLE, GRANDMOTHER, GRANDFATHER, GREAT GRANDMOTHER is getting their lives taken away because the government will lower cost. Because you say yes to the bill.

[Kim Noble]

Medicare, social security, congress, senate US MILITARY. These are not things that we should "sub-out" Neither is health care.

Teddy Roosevelt warned us about the "corpoprate royalists"
They are the ones that are trying to scare us out of single payer and public option.

Teddy Roosevelt also campaigned for universal health care.That was 102 f'n years ago. So what's with the "slow down and get it right" from the obstructionists. Senator Dingle from Ohio presented this 66 years ago.

Goldwater ( a wonderful man and great Republican)provided health care for his employees. He also stated that gov't should stay out of businsess, but if business doesn't govern itself & behave, they get what they deserve.

Speaking of Great Republicans-Gen'l/President Dwight Eisenhower warned us of the"military Industrial Complex"If they have a permenat place in the budget, they will look for wars "to justify their existence"

If you like your health care provider you get to keep it. Let's roll back the Bush (and Reagan)tax cuts for the wealthiest 1-2%. We had the same tax cuts before the great depression, as well as an out of control banking syatem.

The right-including Fox- has to lie and create scare tactics because the truth will defeat them.

we are 29th in the world in infant mortality-behind SLOVAKIA.Health care IS killing us.

OPtion & competiton is good for business.

Good health to you all-"God bless us,every one"

[Reinhart]

Citizens such as JJ who criticize the USPS need a larger perspective on the institution and on the nature of economics. The USPS posts losses 865 million? Welcome to a recession. The Post Office still has to pay for the same electricity, gas, and payroll even though everyone has cut back on their mail orders. But that loss is still only about 1% of the USPS's 2008 revenue. Now compare that to the losses posted recently by many private corporations with similar scope, revenue, and range of services and product.

Economics is no place for dogmatic thinking. Contrary to many beliefs, it doesn't matter as much who runs a business, but HOW it is run. Profit incentives are a major influence in how our economy is gamed but there are scenarios where the drive for personal profit does not yield the greatest benefit.

Capitalism is an elegant ideal model in a complex and messy reality and we have no guarantees that reality always imitates this ideal. At times it takes careful regulation and public cooperation to alter scenarios to resemble the situations where the free market is functional.

It's natural that any healthcare plan put forth by Congress will have flaws. But I'd prefer it if people actually debated the distinct points of the issue rather than become distracted by false dilemmas.

[Sandy]

Too little too late bozo. You guys had 8 years to make these necessary corrections but decided to give the wealthy vast tax breaks instead.