Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about jobs.

Over a month ago, I launched my participation in American Job Creators. All too often in Washington, regulations are created that end up stifling job creation across our Nation. That is why I chose to participate in American Job Creators. With unemployment at 9 percent, it was common sense to me to ask the job-creating experts what regulations are affecting their ability to grow and expand.

One job creator in my district, Jodie, is a home builder. She went to AmericanJobCreators.com and used the platform to communicate with me. Jodie identified the onerous banking regulations created by the Dodd- Frank Act, making it more difficult for contractors to borrow money from lending institutions. This, in turn, makes it more difficult to complete and start new projects. We know the housing crisis has made it difficult on the construction industry, but adding these regulations has further stifled the industry's ability to recover and to create jobs in America.

I would like to thank Jodie for her participation and encourage more people to go to AmericanJobCreators.com.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1214.

This is just another section of the ObamaCare bill, which, of course, I proposed and promoted the repeal of the entire bill.

This is another slush fund of mandatory spending in the bill, $200 million, with no congressional oversight over the next 4 years; where the Secretary of Health and Human Services can grant construction and renovation for school-based health centers, again, at their own discretion.

Again, as was just stated, none of this money can go to actually providing health care.

It is deceptive to say that this section of the ObamaCare bill is to promote health for our students and others at schools. This is another indication of uncontrolled Federal Government spending with no congressional oversight, and I speak today on behalf of the bill to rescind that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind the American people why we're here. We're here today because of the failure of the 111th Congress to pass a budget for the first time in decades. You might think that for one party that controlled the White House and both Chambers of Congress, this would be a relatively easy thing to do, but you have to try. In an effort to protect a few powerful committee chairmen and other incumbents in their own party, they made a political decision not to pass a budget because it had a $1.5 trillion deficit attached to it. You can't run and you can't hide from the American people.

Now, even after the people have spoken in November, they are continuing to protect the status quo, protecting out-of-control Washington spending, and offering no solutions of their own other than raising everyone's taxes and demagoging anyone who puts forward a plan. Again, I would like to see their plan.

I began running to represent Indiana's Eighth Congressional District in October of 2009, an endeavor I had never undertaken before. I was a practicing physician, cardiothoracic surgeon. I decided to seek public office because of our government's inability to control spending. Let's remind everyone where the status quo has led us. It has led us to historic unemployment and a mounting debt that is mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren.

But yesterday, our counterparts in the Senate and the White House showed different intentions. I can't stand before you today in good conscience not advocating for the men and women who have volunteered to wear the uniform of our great Nation. A notion that a bill to fund the troops for the remainder of the fiscal year is being threatened by a veto is preposterous.

This challenge to fix our government's spending habits is above politics and talking points. While I stand here today in the people's House, individuals are playing petty politics while we offered a solution yesterday that pays our troops and avoids a government shutdown.

We passed H.R. 1 with a modest $61 billion down payment on controlling Washington spending, and we have been criticized in the face of a $1.5 trillion deficit. I implore the Senate and the White House to join with us here in the House and act to significantly reduce spending and avoid a government shutdown.

And I offer one last observation since I am new to Congress, a continuing frustration that I am finding here in Washington, D.C., and that is I am amazed by the resistance of some in Congress to tackling this problem, especially the fact that some continue to find excuses why we can't even consolidate programs and downsize government and make things more efficient here in Washington, D.C. at the very least. But I found this at a committee hearing the other day when the Democrats continued to make excuses after a Government Accountability Office report showed the excesses that we have here in Washington, D.C.

This is a serious issue we face together as a Nation. I began this conversation when I began running for Congress almost 2 years ago, and it's a conversation I continue to have with my constituents. This is an adult conversation about facts and our future.

Until we come to a solution that will put hardworking Americans and Hoosiers back to work and our government begins to act in a responsible manner when it comes to our Nation's fiscal issues, I will continue to have this conversation with my constituents and with the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Vincennes Rivet High School Girls' Basketball Team from Vincennes, Indiana. On March 5, 2011, the Lady Patriots won the Indiana High School Athletic Association's Class 1A State Championship for the first time in school history. Today, I would like to congratulate Coach Tim Young and the young ladies for their success.

Capping off a regular season with a perfect record of 21 wins and 0 losses, Coach Young led his #1 ranked team to the school's third straight appearance in the state finals where they achieved a 49 to 40 victory against #2 ranked Turkey Run to bring home their first championship. I would also like to commend Coach Jeff Thompson and his team for their exceptional season.

Coach Young constantly promoted teamwork and sportsmanship and was named the Evansville Courier & Press Southwestern Indiana Coach of the Year. His daughter, senior point guard Sarah Young, was named the all- Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Lady Patriots of Vincennes Rivet High School for their hard work and dedication that culminated with their first ever Indiana High School Athletic Association's Girls Basketball Title.

Rivet Lady Patriots

Julia Finch, Ellie Herman, Bailey Dreiman, Lauren Herman, Casandra Brocksmith, Elizabeth Keller, Erin Wehrheim, Sara Young, Mallory Niehaus, Allyson Wehrheim, Lauren Tucker, Amber Fowler, Emily Montgomery, Emily Niehaus, Brooke Schutter, Bailey Niehaus.

Head Coach: Tim Young.

Asst. Coaches: Charlie Waggoner, Brent Meeks, Sheila Herman, Paula Westfall.

Manager: Haley Potter.

Athletic Director: Doug Ostendorf.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Reitz Memorial High School Girls Basketball Team from Evansville, Indiana. On March 5, 2011, the Lady Tigers won the Indiana High School Athletic Association's Class 3A State Championship for the first time in school history. Today, I would like to congratulate Coach Bruce Dockery and the 16 young ladies for their success.

After a regular season of 21 wins and only 1 loss, Coach Dockery led his #1 ranked team to the school's second appearance in the state finals in Fort Wayne, Indiana where it took a 58 to 50 overtime victory against #3 ranked Benton Central to bring home their first championship. I would also like to commend Coach David Baxter and his team for their exceptional season.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Lady Tigers of Reitz Memorial High School for their hard work and dedication that culminated with a record of 28 wins and 1 loss in Coach Dockery's 23rd season and their first ever Indiana High School Athletic Association's Girls Basketball Title.

Memorial Lady Tigers

Rachel Davidson

Nicci Bland

Ruth Hedrick

Maggie Minnette

Sarah Stone

Grace Shymanski

Natalie Cohlmeyer

Jena Lutz

Anna Hackert

Marie Hackert

Emily Nesbitt

Mallory Ladd

Head Coach: Bruce Dockery

Asst. Coaches: Monica Auker, Whitney Jenkins, Thom Endress, Joan Miller

Student Managers: Emily Purdue, Kelsey Falls, Jessica Durcholz

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Washington High School Boys' Basketball Team from Washington, Indiana. On March 26, 2011, the Hatchets won the Indiana High School Athletic Association's Class 3A State Championship for the second consecutive year. Today, I would like to congratulate Coach Gene Miller and the young men for their success.

The #1 ranked Hatchets finished their season with a record of 24 wins and only 4 losses where they achieved a 61 to 46 victory against Culver Academies in the state finals. I would also like commend Coach Mark Galloway and his team for reaching their first ever state championship game.

This was the fourth state championship since 2005 for the Hatchets, who were led by McDonald's All American Cody Zeller. Mr. Zeller was also named the winner of the Arthur L. Trester Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A Boys Basketball.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Hatchets of Washington High School for their hard work and dedication that culminated with their second consecutive Indiana High School Athletic Association's Boys Basketball Title.

Washington Hatchets

Jacob Stephens

Derek Arvin

Trey Garber

Jaydan Hawk

Dylan Ervin

Kurtis Anthony

Adam Lane

Tyler Stoll

Cody Zeller

Robert Pittman

Andy Garland

Cullen Arnold

Head Coach: Gene Miller

Asst. Coaches: Brandt Schuckman, Mike Kramer, Kyle Cornelius, Scott Neidigh, Brett Matteson

Student Managers: Eric Wadsworth and Eric Long

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of Chairman Mica's manager's amendment to the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011.

Indiana is the second largest producer of medical devices in the country with 20,000 jobs in this industry.

There are 1,200 employees at a Boston Scientific plant in the town of Spencer, Indiana which is located in my district. These are Hoosiers who work hard every day to make components that are found in pacemakers. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, I implanted numerous pacemakers into patients that ended up saving their lives.

A recent rule proposed by the Obama Administration would restrict the method in which these pacemakers are shipped across the country because of the very small lithium battery they contain. This rule is expected to cost Boston Scientific $30 million and it is a cost that will be passed onto the consumer.

This is a device that is safe enough to put in the human body, but the Obama Administration does not believe that it's currently safe enough to ship across the country, specifically on an airplane. These restrictions will result in hospitals waiting longer to receive pacemakers and could put human lives in danger.

There is no evidence that the transport of lithium batteries has ever lead to a fire on an aircraft.

I fully support Chairman Mica's Manager's amendment which would require the shipping of lithium batteries to comply with international standards which have proven to be very safe and eliminate President Obama's proposed rule and I encourage my colleagues to support the Manager's Amendment.

Thank you, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about how ObamaCare will hurt my State and ultimately hurt my patients. And I would like to start with an example of the Medicaid program.

As a cardiothoracic surgeon in Evansville, Indiana, I see a lot of patients from neighboring States because we're right in the corner next to Illinois and Kentucky.

Many of these patients are Medicaid patients and, without treatment, face grave results. However, every year the Illinois Medicaid program runs out of money in September, October. They don't have enough money to fund the entire year. And what does that mean? That means that without denying any patients care that they need and deserve, my practice was forced to delay billing to the Medicaid system of Illinois. And then once the new fiscal year came into play, about 50 percent of those claims were subsequently denied by Illinois Medicaid. So those patients that came over for our services, they don't have quality health insurance, Mr. Speaker.

Some physicians in my community don't even bother to bill the Medicaid program in some States at all. This is an example of the broken Medicaid system, a system that has many issues focusing on the access to quality health care. And it was said earlier you see the outcome difference between Medicaid and private insurance patients because we have an access and quality problem with these patients, a system that ObamaCare will break even more by adding millions of Americans to the States' Medicaid rolls. It's estimated that this may cost the State of Indiana as much as $3.6 billion to cover these folks.

From Indiana we have an innovative and effective solution, and that's called the Healthy Indiana Plan. Beginning in January 2008, uninsured Hoosiers between the ages of 19 and 64 started enrolling in this plan, a consumer-driven health care plan. The Healthy Indiana Plan operates on an 1115 demonstration waiver from CMS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Due to the program's success, the State of Indiana would like to use the Healthy Indiana Plan as a coverage vehicle for the newly eligible population under ObamaCare. This has been requested by my State Department of Health and Human Services, but to this point we have not heard a response about whether this will be possible. And I am hoping that we get a response in the positive direction because this is a great program.

The plan is for citizens that earn less than 200 percent of the Federal poverty level and works on a sliding scale for individual contributions, based on the ability to pay, that cannot exceed more

than 5 percent of his or her gross family income. Each participant is enrolled in a health savings account valued at about $1,100, and will not make copays except for non-emergency use of the emergency room. And believe it or not, this program reimburses providers at a Medicare, not Medicaid, level. This gives citizens a financial incentive to adopt healthy lifestyles and personal responsibility to make their own health care decisions.

Healthy Indiana Plan is an innovative, market-based, consumer-driven plan that is working. In a recent survey, 94 percent of Healthy Indiana Plan participants are satisfied with the program, and 99 percent indicated they would re-enroll. There is data in the fact sheet that I have included in the Congressional Record showing the success of this plan both for patients and for the State of Indiana.

It's a commonsense, market-based solution to a broken Medicaid system that ObamaCare does nothing to fix, but only further burdens my State, and all States, and will ultimately continue to hurt patients' access to quality health care in America. So I would urge everyone to review what the State of Indiana has done with its Healthy Indiana Plan.

With that, Dr. Gingrey, I thank you.

The Healthy Indiana Plan is a consumer-driven health care

plan for uninsured Hoosiers between the ages of 19-64. The

program began enrollment in January 2008, and operates under

an 1115 demonstration waiver from the Centers for Medicare

and Medicaid services (CMS). During the first two years of

the program, HIP served 61,797 Hoosiers.

who is covered?

HIP is for uninsured Hoosier adults between the ages of 19-

64. Parents or caretaker relatives of children in the Hoosier

Healthwise (CHIP) program are likely candidates for HIP.

Eligibility Requirements: 1. Earn less than 200% of the

federal poverty level (FPL). A single adult earning less than

$20,000 or families of four earning less than $40,000 likely

meet the basic financial requirements. 2. No access to

employer sponsored health insurance coverage. 3. Uninsured

for the previous six months.

plan structure

A POWER (Health Savings Account) Account valued at $1,100

per adult. Contributions to the account are made by the State

and each participant (based on ability to pay). No

participant pays more than 5% of his/her gross family income.

Sliding scale for individual contributions (based on % of

gross family income): 0-100% FPL: 2%; 100%-125% FPL: 3%;

125%-150% FPL: 4%; 150%-200% FPL: 4.5%-5% (Caretaker

relatives/parental adults in this income bracket contribute

4.5%, and the childless adults contribute 5%).

No co-pays except for non emergency use of the ED.

Providers are reimbursed at Medicare, not Medicaid, rates.

Plan Benefits

A basic commercial benefits package, once annual medical

costs exceed $1,100.

Coverage for preventive services up to $500 a year at no

cost to participants.

Services include: physician services, prescriptions,

diagnostic exams, home health services, outpatient hospital,

inpatient hospital, hospice, preventive services, family

planning, and case and disease management.

Mental health coverage is similar to coverage for physical

health, and includes substance abuse treatment, inpatient,

outpatient, and drugs.

HIP does not cover vision or dental. HIP also does not

cover pregnancy services, as these services are available

through the existing Medicaid program.

Why a POWER (HSA) Account?

Personal Wellness and Responsibility (POWER) Accounts give

participants a financial incentive to adopt healthy behaviors

that keep them out of the doctor's office. When they do seek

health care, participants will seek price and quality

transparency so they can make value conscious decisions.

If all age and gender appropriate preventive services are

completed, all (State and individual) remaining POWER Account

funds will rollover to offset the following year's

contribution. If preventive services are not completed, only

the individual's prorated contribution (not the State's

portion) to the account rolls over.

Program Results & Personal Responsibility

HIP members, in general, have demonstrated the personal

responsibility emphasized by the program.

Lower ER Use: Some HIP members do not make POWER account

contributions due to CMS income-counting guidelines. HIP

members required to make POWER account contributions: 9%

decrease in ER use in 3 months; 15% decrease in ER use after

6 months. HIP members not required to make POWER account

contributions: Initial 5% decline in ER use after 3 months;

no additional decline in ER use.

High Generic Drug Utilization:

HIP generic drug utilization: 80%; comparable commercial

population: 65%.

High Use of Preventative Care: 76% of HIP members received

their required annual physical in the first year of the

program. Use of preventive services was significantly higher

than the traditional Medicaid population in Indiana: 445.4

well care visits per 1,000 (HIP caretaker adults); 281.8 well

care visits per 1,000 (HIP childless adults); 195.2 well care

visits per 1,000 (Indiana Medicaid adults).

Strong Personal Responsibility: 97% of members made their

required POWER account contributions during program year one.

Individuals can be removed from the program for failure to

make POWER Account contributions within 45 days. Once removed

from the program, an individual may not re-enroll for 12

months.

High Member Satisfaction: 94% of HIP participants surveyed

said they are satisfied with the program, and 99% of

respondents indicated that they would re-enroll in the

program.

Impact of the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act maintenance of effort requirements

turned HIP into an entitlement program for adults. Despite

funding limitations (HIP was funded through an increase in

the cigarette tax), the State cannot limit the number of

parental enrollees. Therefore, the State is not currently

enrolling childless adults on the wait list.

Due to the success of the program, the State would like to

use HIP as the coverage vehicle for the newly eligible

population. Indiana has asked for direction from CMS (May

letter to Cindy Mann) and has not received any official

guidance.

The success of the program depends on its innovative

market-based, consumer-driven structure. There is concern

about whether or not CMS will allow the program to continue

in its current form.

For more information: www.HIP.in.gov.

Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the Pence amendment that prohibits any funds from the underlying bill going to Planned Parenthood of America. I want to start with a personal story as a physician.

I performed lifesaving surgery on infants as young as 22 weeks' gestation at birth. Madam Chairman, I have held these lives in my own hands. They are viable human lives at birth and, unfortunately, Planned Parenthood uses taxpayer funds to cut these lives short; tragically, sometimes within weeks of medically proven viability outside the womb. Again, I have held these lives in my hands.

Abortion, of course, for any reason is wrong, but this situation I have personal experience with is particularly distressing for me because I am a physician and also I am a father of four.

I want to reiterate that Planned Parenthood has received $363.2 million in taxpayer funding as of its 2009 annual report, one-third of their $1 billion income. During that same time period,

Planned Parenthood-supported clinics performed over 324,000 abortions, and this is by their own accounting. Federal taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize these actions.

In addition, Madam Chairman, currently in Planned Parenthood there are 11 clinics under investigation in Arizona, Ohio, Connecticut, California and Tennessee, among other States, including my own State of Indiana, where in 2008 a video showed a Planned Parenthood clinic covering up a rape of a 13-year-old girl. Can everyone see a pattern here? In total, Planned Parenthood is facing 107 criminal charges, including 23 felony charges. What they are doing is not only morally wrong, but appears to be criminally negligent.

Press reports have recently said that Planned Parenthood is now mandating by 2013 that all of its regional affiliates must provide abortions. It is important to note that the amendment does not affect title X services such as breast cancer screening, HIV prevention, STD testing and other valuable health care services to women.

This amendment is about abortion, in contrast to what has been said here on the House floor earlier tonight. Title X supports 4,500 community clinics throughout America that provide critical services, which I support, and I am proud of these facilities for the quality of care that they provide.

Again, this amendment is about abortion. I strongly support it. I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) for his strong leadership on this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlelady for the time, and, Mr. Speaker, I also want to briefly at the beginning comment on why we're here today. We're here today because the 111th Congress didn't do some of this work, and we have a resolution that is going to make the 112th Congress get the job done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 72, and I'm speaking about the egregious overregulation by the current administration. One specific instance I would like to bring up to the floor occurred with Spruce Number One surface mine in southern West Virginia.

I know that it is not uncommon for the EPA to veto mine permits, but this is the first time in the history that the EPA has vetoed a mining permit after it has been issued and placed into action. The portion of the Clean Water Act referenced was section 404, a requirement for commercial investment in several industries, including mining and transportation.

I'm the son of a coal miner who worked in an underground coal mine for 37 years, and now I'm representing southwestern Indiana, a district rich in coal reserves; and in State of Indiana, 95 percent of our electrical energy comes from coal. Every coal mine in Indiana, except for one, is in my district. I find it very troubling that the EPA would veto a mining permit after it had been issued by the Corps of Engineers and put into operation by the mining company. The mining company had invested $250 million and was going to bring good jobs to southern West Virginia.

I am troubled by this overstepping by the EPA because I am fearful that all mining companies going through the permitting process in my district are going to be at risk, even if they're granted a permit. I'm also fearful for all the industries that require section 404 permits that could have theirs retroactively vetoed and would waste private capital investment and hurt job creation.

With our Nation's labor force participation rate at a 26-year low, we must end the overregulation and stop the atrocious overreaching by government agencies. We need jobs in America.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of our Nation's 40th President. Today, we honor Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the People's House, and Ronald Reagan was the people's President.

President Reagan championed the individual by lowering the tax burden on America's citizens and promoting free markets, actions that resonated with me as a young college student. As a 19-year-old in 1981, it was President Reagan's optimism about our future and clear conservative message that guided me to become a Republican.

What stood out the most to me about President Ronald Reagan was his conviction and steadfast leadership in pulling us out of the Cold War. I am honored to be able to stand here today on the House floor in celebration of a great leader, President Ronald Reagan.

Thank you, Chairman Kline.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. I consider this one of the most crucial votes in this Congress. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, I can speak from the perspective of a physician who has dealt with the growing need for health care reform in our country.

We all know there are too many uninsured; too many underinsured. But a government solution is the wrong approach. This law does nothing to address the critical issue in health care today, and that's the rising cost of health care.

Now let's touch on my patients. Sixty to 70 percent of my patients are in Medicare. A $500 billion cut in the funding of Medicare and decreasing reimbursement for physicians, for hospitals and other providers over the course of time will lead to what it has led to in every other country that has a government health care system--rationing of health care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, our American seniors.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Gingrey, for allowing me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to vote for the repeal bill of health care today because, as a practicing physician for 15 years, I know that the government approach to health care reform is the wrong approach. It was said earlier tonight: Why aren't Republicans focusing on jobs? I would hold, Mr. Speaker, that this is a jobs bill today. The health care bill, the ObamaCare bill, is a job destroyer. I held roundtables for large and small businesses throughout my district, and I never heard any of the things I heard earlier tonight in this Chamber. What I heard is it is preventing them from expanding business; it is preventing them from starting new businesses, and some businesses are very worried that they may no longer be in business. So this is a jobs bill.

The other thing I would like to comment on is the physicians' support for this bill. It was said earlier tonight in this Chamber that physicians across the country support this bill. Well, the organizations that have been discussed, the last time I looked, represent less than 20 percent of the physicians in the United States. In actual fact, most national special medical societies were against the bill. So this is a gross overrepresentation of national physicians' support for the ObamaCare bill.

The President had a group of physicians at the White House in white coats saying that physicians are behind this bill, but he brought in a group of physicians who are known people who are proponents of single payer health care.

So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say again that this is a jobs bill. This will hurt jobs in America.

The last thing I would like to say related to being a physician: What are we going to do about physician shortages in this country? This bill is going to make that worse. How can we convince young people, like my son who is a senior in high school, to go into medicine when they are looking at no significant financial way to become a primary care doctor in this country going forward with this ObamaCare in place?

I want young people to love medicine, to go into medicine, to keep us in strong supply of physicians. But, Mr. Speaker, unless we do repeal this bill and replace it with things that we know that work as a private sector solution, that is not going to happen.