Goodlatte jabs at health care, debt
As 6th District Rep. Bob Goodlatte sees it, health insurance reform is necessary but not the way it is proposed in the legislation before Congress.
The Republican House member for the Shenandoah Valley said the American people want a more reasonable reform.
He suggests incremental changes that would include allowing policies to be sold across state lines. He also believes allowing pools of coverage would spread the risks of major costs across hundreds to thousands of employers. And he supports medical liability reform that would lessen defensive medicine.
“It’s common knowledge that tests and procedures are done now just in case there is a lawsuit,’’ said Goodlatte, who visited the Waynesboro Kiwanis Club Tuesday.
Goodlatte said the current Senate health care bill would cost $850 billion, and a proposal by President Barack Obama $100 billion more than the Senate bill. At the same time, Obama’s proposal would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare at a time baby boomers are coming on the Medicare rolls, Goodlatte said.
And there is the increase in the size of government that the legislation includes. Almost 150 new government agencies and programs would be created by the health care legislation, including the position of national health insurance commissioner.
“I believe competition is the best way to go, not government regulation,’’ said Goodlatte, who anticipates a vote on the legislation by the end of the month before Congress starts an Easter recess.
Goodlatte said the thousands of e-mails and calls his office has received have overwhelmingly asked that Congress go back to the table and reexamine health care reform.
Meanwhile, Goodlatte said the country’s $1.6-trillion deficit estimated for next year’s federal budget represents four times the amount the country ever borrowed prior to last year.
“We are borrowing double and triple the rates we have’’ previously, said Goodlatte, who has for years proposed a balanced budget amendment that now has the support of 180 congressional co-sponsors.
The congressman said the federal spending cannot be sustained, and it is time for Congress to tighten its belt. “Other governments are tightening their belt. We need to as well,’’ he said.
Goodlatte said if Congress approves a balanced budget amendment, there will be layoffs of federal employees. But he said those layoffs would be phased in over a period of years, and the government would not neglect essential responsibilities such as national defense.
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One of Goodlatte’s comments took me by surprise. He believes in developing large pools to spread risk. So do I; it’s called national health insurance and the surest way to get there is to do exactly what Goodlatte is recommending. Not exactly what you would expect from a Republican.
“It’s common knowledge that tests and procedures are done now just in case there is a lawsuit” he said. Well, it is a common misperception (and part of the Republican agenda to misinform), but there is no evidence this statement is true.
He supports medical liability reform. Studies suggest between a 0.5% and 2% cost savings when tort reform is enacted. Since it has virtually no impact on the rising cost of health care why does he support it? Ask his insurance company contributors.
He says that federal spending cannot be sustained and we need to tighten our belts. However, actions speak louder than words. The only way to reduce the deficit is to reduce military spending (which accounts for 30% of the federal budget) and Goodlatte is against that. (However, he is for investing your Social Security in the stock market.) This from a Congressman who, for 8 years, voted for every deficit budget put forth by the Bush administration.
Why do people keep voting for this guy? Because he thinks voters are gullible. And he just may be right.
While he is correct about the deficit he is either clueless or holding back on the actual numbers.
First, debt is okay as long as it can be serviced. The difference between what we take in and what we pay out is either a surplus or a deficit.
Our deficit using GAAP Generally Acceptable Accounting Procedures for fiscal 2009 was released 9 months late. Apparently we use Geithner Acceptable Accounting Procedures now for in a year when federal revenues were in the toilet and expenditures were to the moon he claims our deficit shrunk.
Truth is, our deficit, what we can’t pay, is 9 trillion dollars.
With a 9 trillion dollar deficit there is one and only one outcome - sovereign debt default, or a failed currency.
Talking about health care is like moving the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Goodlatte is bad medicine for this area.
I wonder what insurance company paid for the lunch?
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