Sam Johnson speaks out against H.R. 3962
This bill bulldozes individual liberty…demands you buy health insurance or else go to jail

November 7, 2009

Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) delivered the following statement on the $1.2 trillion, 20 pound Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962. The 2,000 page bill hurts seniors with sweeping cuts to Medicare, forces Americans to buy health insurance or go to jail, taxes all Americans and businesses who do not purchase “government approved” health coverage, limits personal choices and individual decisions, and jeopardizes the health insurance Americans already have – and often times like. Johnson will vote against the measure tonight.

Johnson believes that healthcare in America needs reform and feels that Congress can and must do better with a targeted, bipartisan approach. Specifically, individuals, small businesses and other groups should be able to join together to access insurance at lower prices, the same way large businesses and labor unions do. For years, Johnson has championed legislation to do just that, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, H.R. 2607. In fact, Republican leadership included Johnson’s measure in their common-sense, fiscally responsible substitute amendment to the health bill that will be debated on the floor tonight.

Yesterday the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirmed that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in H.R. 3962 could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

H.R.3962 creates 111 new bureaucracies. This bill also includes over $500 billion in cuts from the Medicare program including nearly $200 billion in across-the-board cuts to all hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), hospice, clinical laboratories, and durable medical equipment (DME). The measure also slashes over $40 billion from the Medicare prescription drug program, which will raise seniors’ premiums by at least 20%. Medicare Advantage (MA) which currently provides benefits to more than 11 million seniors, will be cut by $170 billion.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Today we are voting on Speaker Pelosi’s $1 trillion Washington takeover of healthcare. This bill bulldozes individual liberty and puts the government just where it does not belong – right smack dab in the middle of your personal healthcare decisions.

“This bill forces every single person in this country to purchase ‘government-approved’ healthcare – or else…go to jail! Businesses also must offer ‘government-approved’ healthcare or face hundreds of billions of dollars in job killing taxes.

“Unfortunately, ‘government-approved’ healthcare will be defined by a handful of bureaucrats around a conference table in Washington. This unprecedented Washington power grab eliminates an individual’s right to choose what kind of healthcare is best for them and their families.

“Speaker Pelosi’s 20 pound, 2,000 page bill costs $2.2 million per word. The American public has made their voices heard. They are sick and tired of the government sticking its nose where it does not belong.

“They are fed up with Washington’s trillion dollar bailouts, free handouts and special interest paybacks. The Democrats in Congress need to listen and come up with a bipartisan, patient-centered plan.

“We can do better with a targeted, fiscally responsible approach that makes health insurance more affordable, accessible and available. Real health reform protects the patients’ right to choose their own care. Real health reform gives doctors the freedom to do what is best for their patients. We can do all of this without piling trillions of dollars in debt on to our children and grandchildren.

“Vote down this deficit ballooning, job killing Washington takeover of healthcare today.”

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