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Opposing view: More losers than winners
Let’s start over and create a system
the American people can support.
USA Today
Nov. 23, 2009
Abraham Lincoln believed that “with public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.”
There is no doubt that the American people are hungry for health care reform. They see the possibilities for a system that provides greater access, reins in costs, and encourages innovation. Public sentiment, however, is not with the legislation currently being considered in the Senate. Americans understand that within its 2,074 pages is a bill that removes patients from the focus of health care, breaks the backs of lower- and middle-income families and small businesses with higher taxes, and costs $2.5 trillion to fully implement.
Like never before in recent history, the American people have been vocal and opinionated about health care reform efforts. This is a deeply personal issue, and they see that there are more losers than winners in this bill. If you like your health plan and your doctor, you lose with this bill. If you rely on a Flexible Spending Account to fill in gaps in your coverage, you lose with this bill. If you live in a state that is in financial trouble, you lose with this bill.
Public sentiment for this bill will not come from seniors who will see Medicare cut by half a trillion dollars. Eleven million seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage will see their extra benefits—like vision care, free flu shots and dental coverage—reduced in half.
Public sentiment won’t come from employers who will pay $28 billion in new taxes if they don’t provide government-approved health plans. Add more than 15 million American workers to the list of those who lose under this bill because they will ultimately pay these taxes or "penalties" with reduced wages and lost jobs.
Support for this bill will not come from working families who feel the crush of rising premiums—under the Democrats’ plan, premiums will increase by 20% to 50% for people in the individual market. And public sentiment won’t come from union members whose high-value health plans will be taxed.
If you still think you win under this bill, consider the taxes that will be passed on for prescription drugs, clinical lab work, medical devices, and cosmetic surgery.
With 2,074 pages of legislative language and a half-trillion dollars in higher taxes, few people will see their health care improve. Americans want health care reform—they just don’t want this health care reform.
Let’s go back to the drawing board and work together—Democrats and Republicans—to create a system where every American wins with choice in health care, incentives for healthy lifestyles, the elimination of screening for pre-existing conditions, help for small businesses to provide health care for employees, and tort reform. I guarantee you that public sentiment will be with us.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is a member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Posted at 12:21 AM/ET, November 23, 2009 in USA TODAY editorial | Permalink
Ensign: Vote Today Is For Higher Taxes,
Less Choice, More Government
November 21, 2009 – Washington, DC ndash; Senator John Ensign today made the following statement regarding his vote against the motion to proceed in the first crucial vote in the Senate healthcare debate:
“There is no question that we need to fix health care in this country, but this bill is not how we do it. Right now, too many Nevadans are struggling to keep businesses open, pay their bills, keep their home, and plan for the future. To make it harder for them to survive with higher health insurance premiums, cuts to Medicare, and billions of dollars in new taxes is irresponsible and unsustainable. The innovation and resilience of the American people will carry us through this economic uncertainty, but only if the government doesn’t create more barriers for success.
“That’s what tonight’s vote is—a barrier to the future prosperity and health of Nevada and this country. We need to come together—not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans—to tackle the challenges of healthcare reform in a way that centers around the patient with choice in health care, incentives for healthy behaviors, the elimination of pre-existing conditions, help for small businesses to provide health care for employees, and meaningful tort reform. That’s the kind of health care system that all Americans need.”
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