House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) discusses how some of the $2 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act designated for higher education will go toward developing programs at Hispanic and historically black colleges. (0:28)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says that she is hopeful that health care reform will eventually garner bipartisan support.
“A number of Republican members have said to me ‘I’m hoping I can be there on the conference report.’” said Pelosi during a press conference.
Female GOP members of the House explain a few of the provisions within the Republicans’ healthcare plan, and argue that the Democrats’ plan is bad for Americans.
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) says during a conference call with reporters on Friday that the healthcare bill set to be voted on by the House is not something most Americans want passed. Latta points to the legislation’s costs and the fact that it won’t insure everyone in need of health insurance as reasons to oppose it. (:33)
By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to exclude a provision that exempts insurance companies from tort claims from the proposed health care bills in the House and the Senate.
Section 514 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) states, among other things, that if an insurance company improperly denies benefits to an individual, it cannot be sued for any resulting injury or wrongful death, regardless of whether it acted in bad faith in denying benefits.
“Why does a health care reform bill continue immunity to insurance companies so they can injure and kill people?” Shadegg asked during a press conference Wednesday.
The intent of the ERISA provision is to prevent the misuse and loss of pension funds to protect American retirees. Section 514 of ERISA contains a preemption that does not allow civil courts to sue insurance companies for injury or wrongful death, because 514 is a federal statute.
Standing alongside Shadegg was Florence Corcoran, who suffered the loss of her unborn baby in 1989. Corcoran took to the podium and explained that she was diagnosed with Toxemia during her 36th week of pregnancy. Her doctor had requested that she be admitted to the hospital for further monitoring of her unborn child, but her insurance company, United Health Care Inc., maintained that she would be adequately cared for while on bed rest at home. Corcoran left the hospital, and the next week her baby went into distress and died.
“Insurance companies, all they look out for is money. That’s all, it’s not the patients health that they are concerned about,” said Corcoran.
Shadegg offered an amendment to strip the immunity in section 514 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but said the amendment was rejected by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) The Arizona Republican said that he will offer an amendment to remove this language in the House Rules Committee.
“I hope…that the American people will rise up and demand that Nancy Pelosi fix this bill before it’s voted on in the House…or that in the conference committee it be fixed.”
Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) says the proposed health care bill by Nancy Pelosi is a “European model” and will create gaps between diagnosis and treatment in patients, leading to a reduction of survival rates among men and women diagnosed with cancer. (0:17)
By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service
If the public option on health care is viable and sustainable for the American people, then members of Congress and the Senate should sacrifice their own federal health benefits and use it themselves, said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and other House Republicans Wednesday.
“If this government-run plan is so good, why don’t members of Congress take the plan?” asked Wilson, during a press conference promoting an amendment to the Affordable Health Care For All Americans Act requiring all members of the House and Senate subscribe to the public insurance option offered by the legislation.
While Wilson admittedly does not support the public option, the proposed amendment is being interpreted as a way to make a point to Wilson’s Democratic colleagues.
“We know why the majority of the ‘Pelosi takeover bill’ does not provide this,” Wilson continued. “They do know that the government-run option will not be in the interest of the American people, either individually or for the American citizens at large. I’m just very hopeful that they’ll reconsider, that they will understand if it’s good enough for the American people, it’s good enough for Congress.”
Wilson added that the House is “shoving this bill through.”
Wilson went on to say that the House is “shoving this bill through.”
“Speaker Pelosi still has not informed us about what the amendment process will be for this bill,” Wilson said in a statement released Wednesday. “An issue as important as a health care overhaul that will impact every American is much too important through rush through without transparency or a democratic amendment process.”
Wilson garnered controversy when he shouted the phrase “you lie” during President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress in September.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) spoke on the recent release of state-by-state unemployment figures, where 49 of 50 states have reported job losses. Boehner said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was ignoring reality when she claimed the stimulus has created 2 million jobs, even though California lost 300,000 jobs. (0:57)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the purpose of health care reform is improving quality, lowering costs, expanding coverage and retaining choice for those who like what they already have. According to the Speaker “heath care reform is entitlement reform” and that is “essential” to reducing the deficit. (0:25)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Majority Whip James Clyburn and economist Mark Zandi talk to members of the media in the Capitol Wednesday following an economic forum on creating more jobs in the U.S.
