Sam
Johnson makes an emergency “House Call”
Speaks
out against Washington’s takeover of healthcare
November 5, 2009
Today
on Capitol Hill U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas)
attended the emergency “House Call” to express his
opposition to the House Democrats’ Washington takeover of
healthcare. Grassroots activists from across America galvanized
by the popular “Tea Party” movement travelled to Capitol
Hill for a news conference to vent their frustrations with the
Democrats’ fast-moving healthcare bill, H.R. 3962, the Affordable
Health Care for America Act.
The
Act costs nearly $1 trillion and represents three months of intense
secret negotiations among House Democrats. The 20 pound, 2,000
page bill hurts seniors with sweeping cuts to Medicare, forces
all Americans to buy health insurance, taxes Americans who do
not purchase “government approved” health coverage,
limits personal choices and individual decisions, and jeopardizes
the health insurance Americans already have – and often
times like.
“The
American people have spoken loud and clear. They don’t want
a government-takeover of healthcare. They want to have the right
to choose the healthcare that’s best for them, their families
and their individual needs. It’s time for a patient-centered
approach that doesn’t break the bank,” said Johnson,
a member of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means.
Johnson
backs the fiscally responsible Republican plan that makes healthcare
more affordable and accessible at a price our nation can afford
by implementing smart, market-driven reforms right now to lower
costs:
- Permitting
individuals and families to purchase health insurance across
state lines;
- Allowing
individuals and small businesses to pool together and acquire
health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations
and labor unions do (For years, Johnson has long championed
this concept and authored H.R. 2607 – the Small Business
Health Fairness Act);
- Giving
states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that
lower healthcare costs; and
- Ending
junk lawsuits that contribute to higher healthcare costs by
increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians
sometimes order not because they think it’s good medicine,
but because they are afraid of being sued.
“We
can do better with a targeted approach that tackles the biggest
problems. The Republican plan does that,” said Johnson.
Visit http://healthcare.gop.gov
to learn more about the Republican plan to lower healthcare costs
and increase the number of Americans with insurance.
“It's
clear where the American people stand. They’re frustrated
and fed up. The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ created
to keep unemployment below 8% isn't working. Unemployment is rising.
The debt to be paid by our kids and grandkids is exploding. And
now comes Speaker Pelosi's 2,000 page government takeover of healthcare.
Americans simply cannot afford another Washington bailout that
overspends, overreaches, and under delivers,” continued
Johnson.
“Healthcare
represents 20% of our economy and Democrats are pushing their
healthcare overhaul at warp speed. Speaker Pelosi maxes out the
government credit card for a plan that will increase healthcare
costs. There are much better alternatives to improving health
care than Speaker Pelosi’s bill. We need to recapture the
passion we saw in town halls across America to remind the Democrats
in Washington of just that,” concluded Johnson.
Sign
up for Johnson’s free E-Newsletter, the Sam Johnson Journal,
by visiting www.SamJohnson.house.gov.
You also can find him on Facebook and YouTube.
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