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Reading Room: 1,990-Page Health Care Bill
November 3, 2009 | 07:25 PM
1,990 pages. Over 400,00 words. And approximately $3.25 million tax dollars per word. That’s House Democrats’ latest government-run health care bill — filled with dense legislative language that can have a lasting impact on your family’s health care coverage as well as mine.
The stakes are high, and I am committed to knowing exactly what is in the bill before it comes for a vote in the House of Representatives. That is why I joined Texas Congressman Michael Burgess, M.D. and other Republican Members this afternoon in participating in a Health Care Reform Bill “Reading Room.” Together, we read pages of the bill and discussed the impact those provisions will have on American families.
Unfortunately, we are finding a bill full of government mandates, higher health care costs, fewer options for patients, more taxes for working families, and interference in the patient-doctor relationship. As we continue reading through the bill, the American people have a right to know how their health care will be affected. And I have been a strong supporter of requiring at least 72-hours for Members and the American people to review substantial legislation online before a vote – especially on this government takeover of health care.
In the coming days, I will continue studying the bill to ensure that patients and physicians in the 32nd District of Texas know exactly how Congress plans to change their health care.