Rep. Pence Repeats The Same Old False Republican Talking Points
REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN): It's a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. After years of runaway federal spending, deficits, debt, borrowing, bailouts, and takeovers, against the opposition of a clear majority of the American people, the Democrats in Congress and in this administration are prepared to ram through a $1 trillion government takeover of health care. And it's just hard to believe.
Ignoring the will of the American people, twisting the rules of the House and the Senate into a pretzel. We're headed for a showdown this weekend. But I gotta tell ya, I like our chances. The reason House Democrats don't have the votes is because the American people know this is a government takeover of health care. Mandating that every American purchase health insurance whether they want it or need it, or not. Passing hundreds of billions of dollars in job killing tax increases, providing public funding for abortions, and setting into motion government-run insurance that'll cause millions to lose the insurance they have is a government takeover of health care. Let's have the debate! A minority of congress plus the American people equals a majority! America, we can win this fight! [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
Health Care Reform Slices The Deficit By $1.3 TRILLION Over 20 Years
Rep. Mike Pence: "It's a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. After years of runaway federal spending, deficits, debt, borrowing, bailouts, and takeovers..." [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
CBO: Health Care Reform Package Would Reduce The Deficit By $138 Billion By 2019. According to the Congressional Budget Office: "The reconciliation proposal includes provisions related to health care and revenues, many of which would amend H.R. 3590. It also includes amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965, which authorizes most federal programs involving postsecondary education. CBO and JCT estimate that enacting both pieces of legislation-H.R. 3590 and the reconciliation proposal- would produce a net reduction in federal deficits of $138 billion over the 2010-2019 period as result of changes in direct spending and revenue." [CBO, 3/18/10]
Health Care Reform Will Cut The Deficit By $1.3 TRILLION Over 20 Years. According to the Huffington Post:
Comprehensive health care reform will cost the federal government $940 billion over a ten-year period, but will increase revenue and cut other costs by a greater amount, leading to a reduction of $130 billion in the federal deficit over the same period, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, a Democratic source tells HuffPost. It will cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next ten years.
The source said it also extends Medicare's solvency by at least 9 years and reduces the rate of its growth by 1.4 percent, while closing the doughnut hole for seniors, meaning there will no longer be a gap in coverage of medication. The CBO also estimated it would extend coverage to 32 million additional people. [Huffington Post, 3/18/10]
Americans Are Evenly Split On Reform Package, Widely Support The Plan's Components
Rep. Mike Pence: "...against the opposition of a clear majority of the American people, the Democrats in Congress and in this administration are prepared to ram through a $1 trillion government takeover of health care..." [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
Gallup: Americans Are Evenly Split On The President's Health Care Reform Proposal. According to a recent Gallup poll, 48% of those surveyed would advise their member of Congress to vote against the health care reform bill. 45% would advise their Representative to vote in favor of the bill. The poll had a +/-4% margin of error.
[Gallup, 3/9/10]
Poll: Americans Support Proposals Included Within The Bill, Want Reforms Strengthened. CBS News released a telling poll on January 11, 2010. Regarding extending coverage to the uninsured, the poll showed that 57% of Americans support the current plan or want it stronger - only 32% believe it goes too far. On controlling health care costs, 60% support the plan or want it to go even further - only 24% think it goes too far. And concerning new regulations on health insurance companies, 61% support the plan or want it stronger - only 27% believe it goes too far. [CBS News poll, 1/6-10/10]
Public Support For Health Care Reform Is Growing. As reported by the Washington Post:
A new polling memo from Joel Benenson, the White House's pollster of choice, argues that support for President Barack Obama's health care plan has been building in the wake of his State of the Union speech in late January.
Since February 1, according to data compiled by Benenson, 44 percent of those tested in national surveys support the bill while 45 percent oppose it -- a sea change from the 38 percent favor/52 percent oppose average of polls conducted in the three months prior.
That movement, argues Benenson, is born out of a continued desire from the American people for Congress to pass some sort of health care reform and broad popularity of some of the major measures contained in the bill. [Washington Post, 3/18/10]
There Is No "Government Takeover Of Health Care"
Rep. Mike Pence: "...The reason House Democrats don't have the votes is because the American people know this is a government takeover of health care..." [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
PolitiFact: Republicans Are "Wrong That Obama's Plan Offers Government-Run Health Care." Analyzing Sen. Tom Coburn's claim that President Obama's health care reform plan amounted to a government takeover of health care, PolitiFact.com wrote:
[H]e's wrong that Obama's plan offers government-run health care.
In fact, Obama's plan leaves in place the private health care system, but seeks to expand it to the uninsured. It increases eligibility for the poor and children to enroll in initiatives like Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and creates pools for individuals to buy their own cheaper insurance. It also outlines strategies to rein in costs for everyone, such as electronic medical records and preventive care.
[...]
That may be Sen. Coburn's opinion on what could happen, but it's definitely not part of Obama's plan. And Coburn was very specific in saying that "under the Obama plan, all the health care in this country is eventually going to be run by the government." That gives the incorrect impression that Obama is promoting a government-run health care system. He's not. We rate Coburn's statement False. [PolitiFact.com, 3/4/10]
New York Times: "Mr. Obama's Bill Does Not Include A So-Called Public Option, A Government-Backed Insurance Plan To Compete With The Private Sector." According to the New York Times, "President Obama on Monday issued his own blueprint for a health care overhaul... In many respects, Mr. Obama's measure looks much like the version the Senate passed on Dec. 24 - and indeed, senior White House officials acknowledged Monday that they had used the Senate bill as a template. Like the Senate version, Mr. Obama's bill does not include a so-called public option, a government-backed insurance plan to compete with the private sector." [New York Times, 2/22/10]
Health Care Reform Would Create Up To 4 Million American Jobs
Rep. Mike Pence: "...Passing hundreds of billions of dollars in job killing tax increases..." [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
Health Care Reform Will Create Up To 4 Million American Jobs In The Next Decade. According to the Center for American Progress, "Relative to baseline employment forecasts from the Employment Projections Program at the U.S. Department of Labor, we estimate that moderate medical savings from health care modernization as envisioned under the legislation now before Congress would lead to an average of 250,000 additional jobs created annually. Under the larger assumption about savings due to health care reform, 400,000 new jobs a year would be created on average." [Center for American Progress, New Jobs Through Better Health Care, January 2010]
Health Care Bill Does NOT Provide Funding For Abortions
Rep. Mike Pence: "...providing public funding for abortions..." [Pence floor speech, 3/18/10]
Pro-Life Groups: "Longstanding Restrictions On Federal Funding Of Abortion Have Been Maintained." Twenty five pro-life Christian leaders wrote a letter to members of Congress, saying, "We are writing because of our concern about the lack of clear and accurate information regarding abortion provisions in the health care reform bill passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009. Reforming our health care system is necessarily complex, and the provisions related to abortion, or any other issue, require careful examination of the facts as they exist in the legislative language. We believe that the provisions below provide extensive evidence that longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion have been maintained. Furthermore, this bill provides new and important supports for vulnerable pregnant women." [National Catholic Reporter, 3/12/10]
59,000 Catholic Nuns: "The Senate Bill Will Not Provide Taxpayer Funding For Elective Abortions." On March 17, 2010, the Associated Press reported, "Catholic nuns are urging Congress to pass President Barack Obama's health care plan, in an unusual public break with bishops who say it would subsidize abortion. Some 60 leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 Catholic nuns Wednesday sent lawmakers a letter urging them to pass the Senate health care bill. It contains restrictions on abortion funding that the bishops say don't go far enough. The letter says that 'despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions.' The letter says the legislation also will help support pregnant women and 'this is the real pro-life stance.'" [Associated Press, 3/17/10]
PolitiFact: "No Federal Funds - Whether Through Tax Credits Or Cost-Sharing Credits - Could Be Used To Pay For Abortions." According to Pulitzer Prize winning PolitiFact.com:
The Baucus plan explicitly states that no federal funds - whether through tax credits or cost-sharing credits - could be used to pay for abortions (again, unless the pregnancy is due to rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger). Insurers participating in any state-based exchange that offers coverage for abortion "must segregate from any premium and cost-sharing credits an amount of each enrollee's private premium dollars that is determined to be sufficient to cover the provision of those services."
[...]
[I]f the government isn't paying any more to an insurance company to pay for abortion coverage, it means that insurance companies that offer such coverage are. So essentially that cost will be passed on to the insured people who select plans that cover abortions. Perhaps a federal court would view this differently, but we think the court of common sense says that if someone claims abortion would be subsidized with federal funds, it suggests more federal tax dollars would pour into plans that cover abortion. But they won't. The added cost will be borne by the people who select plans that include abortion coverage. Those premiums will pay for abortions. [PolitiFact.com, 9/21/09]