Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) Delivers Weekly Republican Address On Health Care

March 7, 2009 - Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), a member of the Energy & Commerce Health Care Subcommittee and Chairman of the GOP Health Care Solutions Group, today delivered the Weekly Republican Address.

Following is the text of Rep. Blunts address:

Hello, I'm Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt. I serve on the House Energy and Commerce Health Care subcommittee and chair the Health Care Solutions Working Group here in the House of Representatives.




I attended President Obama's health care summit Thursday afternoon. I appreciated the opportunity and again told the President that I'm ready to work together to improve health care in America.




Americans are worried about their access to quality, affordable health care and they are looking for responsible solutions. Republicans agree, and we are committed to developing new and innovative solutions to fix what's broken, while making sure that we keep what works.

Republicans are committed to access, affordability, competition and a quality system that puts patients and doctors in the driver seat.

I agree with President Obama that if you like your current health insurance plan, you should be allowed to keep it. But that's not what is currently being discussed in Washington. Some people are spending a lot of time talking about how to spend more of your money on bigger government run programs. I'm concerned that if the government steps in it will eventually push out the private health care plans millions of Americans enjoy today. This could cause your employer to simply stop offering coverage, hoping the government will pick up the slack.




Just imagine a health care system that looks like a government run operation most of us are all too familiar with - the local DMV. Lines, paper work, taking a number. Or how about another government agency - the IRS.




I don't want our health care to resemble that system and you probably don't either. That's why real competition is the key - it encourages innovation so that the health care treatments and services available to you are the ones that you need and you want. Republicans are committed to common-sense solutions that promote competition and innovation.

Not surprisingly the government never gets the price right: overpaying for some services, underpaying for others. It's also a system that leads to unfair rationing of care.




Part of that comes from the backward way the government looks at problems. Washington is the only place that tells you how much they care about something based on how much it costs, instead of how well it works.

America has the best doctors, health care providers and hospitals in the world. Republicans will lead the effort to make health care work for Americans. We'll also lead the fight against any proposals that undermine your ability to get the treatment the doctor you choose recommends.




This is Roy Blunt, thanks for giving me a moment of your time.

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[snowjohn75]

no, the GOP or REP. in Congress are not looking out for the America becausw Health care bill is going to happen no matter what because that is what the peoples want is for the cost of healthcare to go down!

[1961arnie]

I have a couple of points for you to ponder 1 is when is are there laws that stop employers from dropping health care coverage if not there should be right. and when is enought enought sir . i agree that a business should be operated as a for profit enterprise with as little interfereance from goverment as possible but laws were written to keep employers from hiring kids and from dumpimg toxic chemical where ever they wanted. we need to regulate insurance.

[Momand314]

Roy, thanks for protecting private insurance profits. This would mean more if mere tinkering with private insurance regulations would do the trick. But we've done that experinemt: In 1992 15% of Americans had no health insurance. In 2009 ~15% of Americans have no health insurance. (No, these are NOT the illegals.) Tinkering with private insurance and calling this 'reform' has failed for 20 years. So, this is what we can expect of GOP-care: In 2019 15% of Americans will be without insurance.

[lookingforamoraldem]

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