Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 158, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Thank you, Dr. Gingrey. I hail from Marion County, which is South Pittsburg, would be the hometown.

Before coming to Congress I had the opportunity to serve the people in Tennessee as a primary care physician. In 1994 Tennessee embarked on an experiment with the Medicaid program, which became known as TennCare. Unfortunately, it never accomplished its goal of improving on the flawed Medicaid system.

To the contrary, it became a breeding ground for waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency. I witnessed the frustration of my patients, my staff and myself as we struggled to combat this bureaucratic web that forced us to spend time navigating administrative hurdles rather than focusing on quality care.

Another problem that rapidly evolved was over-utilization of the system. Often, only one family member was ill, but other family members were requesting to be seen simply because it was more convenient than making other arrangements for the non-ill member, such as children, to be cared for elsewhere. This also became, and continues to be, a problem in the emergency rooms. There is no cost difference to the patients, so there is no disincentive to utilize the ER for nonemergent care. In fact, this is a national problem, with up to 80 percent of ER visits being deemed nonemergent. This leads to much longer wait times in emergency rooms for those patients who are critically ill. It should also be noted that ER visits are obviously much more expensive than office visits, further driving up the cost unnecessarily.

A simple solution to improving the problem of over-utilization would be implementing a nominal copay system in which office visits cost something like $5 per visit and ER visits might cost $20. This simple step would likely have far-reaching effects to reduce costs, over- utilization, and thus increase availability of care for those who need it. We should see TennCare as a warning of the many problems that a government-run health care model creates.

There are certainly issues with our Nation's health care system that need to be addressed, and the GOP Doctors Caucus has no shortage of good ideas on how to make health care more affordable and expand coverage. But what we stand firm in saying is that ObamaCare is not the answer to the problem, but, rather, it creates an even bigger problem.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My colleagues have done an excellent job today in eloquently paying tribute to Ronald Reagan's life and the many accomplishments he achieved throughout his presidency. I would like to take a moment, though, to recognize one of the most instrumental figures in shaping the Reagan legacy, Nancy Reagan.

In the immutable words of John Donne, ``No man is an island, entire of itself,'' and with all the accolades we bestow on President Reagan, we must remember that Nancy was a key part of the Reagan team.

She was an uncommon confidant and was always there to provide the President with unconditional support, which no doubt served as a source of his strength.

I believe President Reagan would find any tribute to him inadequate without also recognizing the person he described as the ``companion without whom I'm never quite complete or happy.'' So, thank you, Mrs. Reagan for the role that you played in guiding our country through difficult times and ensuring that America forever remains a shining city upon a hill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2. As a practicing physician for nearly two decades in Tennessee, I stand before you as an expert witness to failures of a government-run health care model. ObamaCare takes the problems I've seen in my home State and expands them to a national level.

This bill raises taxes, increases spending, and will add $701 billion to the Federal deficit. Most importantly, ObamaCare will ultimately end up restricting patients' access to quality health care by placing Washington bureaucrats between patients and their doctors.

Moving forward, we do offer solutions. We must work towards reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, instituting meaningful tort reform--thus reducing the practice of defensive medicine. We can accomplish these goals without the creation of a giant, new Federal bureaucracy.

By voting to repeal this unnecessary health care bill we will effectively put a stop to the creation of a massive entitlement program that we did not want, we do not need, and we cannot afford.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 32.

I am pleased that Members of the House of Representatives came together today to speak with a unified voice in both condemning this heinous attack, and expressing our condolences to the friends and families of all the innocent victims that were killed or wounded due to this horrific act of violence.

This resolution reaffirms the democratic principles that Congresswoman Giffords herself espoused when she read the First Amendment of the Constitution during the opening week of the 112th Congress--the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It is critical that we send a message that threats of violence and intimidation will not prevent Americans from participating in the democratic process.

It is my hope to once again work alongside my colleague, Congresswoman Giffords, as we seek to find solutions to problems that we face as a nation.

May God bless the victims of this tragedy, their families and all Americans.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to support the rule and to support the repeal of the Obama health care law. As a physician who has practiced medicine in rural Tennessee under the onerous TennCare law, I know firsthand that this law does not work. It restricts access to health care, it increases the cost, and it does not deliver on the promises the minority made when they passed the law.

The American people have had their say. They do not want this bill. They want it repealed, and they want to see health care reform that will increase access and lower costs.