House Dems Respond To Steele, Rebut “Reckless Experiment” Remark

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

It’s time to end the fear mongering of the past 15 years and start reforming health care, said House Democrats during a press conference Tuesday.

Responding to Republican National Committee Chairman Micheal Steele’s comments that the Democrats’ health care plan is a “reckless experiment”, Rep. Vic Synder (D-Ark.) called the last 15 years a “reckless experiment” due to 47 million Americans being without without health insurance during this time.

“What has happened that past 15 years? What has happened is a reckless experiment with the lives of the American people,” Synder said. “The shameful reckless experiment of the richest country in the world is going to end, and its going to end under President Obama’s leadership.”

Synder was joined by several House colleagues, all of whom are former doctors, nurses or psychologists, along with several doctors and nurses from medical associations who are in support of the American Affordable Health Care Choices Act.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D- Wash.) said those who oppose health care reform now are the using the same fear tactics as those who opposed health care reform in 1994.

“They used fear as a way of making people say ‘oh we don’t want that plan,’”said McDermott. [Well, they got] a horrible 15 years of things going further down the drain and now they are back upstairs talking the same way, the same fear mongering.”

Rep. Donna Christensen (D- V.I.) said that the public option within the bill would provide for “stable, affordable and quality healthcare to the 47 million underinsured,” while “not providing a place for those that [insurance companies] do not want to cover.”

“We cannot and will not allow the people in the country to be held hostage by the industry to protect their profits at the expense of the people of this country and at the expense of their health care,” she said.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the newest member of the House, having been sworn in on Thursday, stressed the consequences of not passing the bill.

“If we do continue to do nothing, health care costs will rise, health care will continue to deteriorate and every American will risk losing quality health care.”

Chairman of the Democratic Caucus Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said that despite today’s postponement of a mark-up vote in the Energy and Commerce committee, he expects the bill to be on the House floor by July 29th.