• September 10, 2009

    McIntyre Statement on President Obama’s Health Care Speech

    Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre released the following statement after President Obama’s address to a Joint Session of Congress concerning health care reform:

    “There is clearly a need for health care reform in our nation.  Premiums are too high, too many citizens are not insured or under-insured, and access is not available for all. Working together, across bi-partisan lines, we can make some progress to meet these goals while also ensuring that we do not continue to add to our nation’s debt.

    “Any health care bill must consist of the following principles:

    -Preserve what we have and ensure that Social Security and Medicare are protected for generations to come;
    -Allow patients the right to chose their own doctor;
    -Allow patients the right to keep the health care plans they currently have;
    -Promote prevention, wellness, and chronic care management;
    -Ensure that coverage is not denied or dropped for patients with pre-existing conditions;
    -Be paid for without more deficit spending or penalizing those  small businesses who can help get our economy moving again; and
    -Not further bankrupt our country. 


    “With a current national debt of $9 trillion, we simply cannot afford a new program that is not paid for over the long-term.  The President proposed some new ideas that need to be fully examined and discussed.  I look forward to working with the President and my colleagues in Congress on meaningful health care reform that maintains the cost-effective principles outlined above.  Toward that end, there are some targeted areas in ways we can help and build on the success of our current health care system without busting the budget.  These include:

    -Supporting community health centers;
    -Improving Medicare re-imbursement formulas for health providers ;
    -Eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program;
    -Expanding the use of electronic health records;
    -Providing tax credits for home health and hospice care;
    -Continuing to support state children’s health insurance plan; and
    -Allowing small businesses to join pools of coverage so they can better access rates.