The alternative health care reform bill being pitched by House Republicans will not prevent insurance providers from barring clients based on pre-existing conditions, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday.
Instead, the bill aims to increase high-risk pools on a state-by-state basis.
“We do encourage more states to have high-risk pools,” said Boehner during a pen and pad session with reporters. “It is a place where people with pre-existing conditions will have an opportunity to get affordable health insurance.”
According to Boehner, the Republican plan will likely not provide tax-incentives for those who purchase their own insurance either, citing the presumably high-cost as the prohibitive factor.
In addition to the alternative bill, Boehner and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) outlined the party’s strategy for combating the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will include a 12-hour online town hall and a campaign spear-headed by Republican women members.
“Our goal is to make this as difficult as possible to vote for,” Boehner remarked.
Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rep. David Camp (R-Mich.) claimed Tuesday that during the numerous town hall meetings held throughout the August recess, the focus was not just on health care reform. The top question being asked was: “Where are the jobs?”
Camp noted during a pen and pad session with reporters that only three counties in his district do not have a double digit unemployment rate, with one county nearing 16%.
The Congressmen touched upon health care reform, both reiterating their opposition to the public option.
“The American people don’t want another health care speech. They want another health care plan,” said Pence.
Camp added, “The public option is not the only concern,” but is “the most offensive part of the bill, because it will lead to many losing health insurance they already have.”
When asked how will President Obama’s joint address to Congress Wednesday will be received, Pence responded “The Republicans will welcome the President back into the Congress respectfully.”
During a press conference Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said President Obama and Vice President Biden have been telling lies about why the Stimulus package hasn’t reversed the nation’s spiraling unemployment rate.
“I found it interesting in the last couple of days, the Vice President and the President mentioned the fact they didn’t realize how difficult an economic circumstance we were in. Now this is the biggest fabrication I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress. I’ve sat through those meetings at the White House with the President, the Vice President, trust me there’s not one person that sat in those rooms that didn’t know how serious our economic crisis was,” Boehner said.
Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wa) cautioned that the recent legislation put forth by the Democrats will do nothing but increase taxes which, in the long term, will hinder consumer spending.
“Republicans know and the American people know that what we need is fiscal discipline in Washington D.C and we need to give the American people a tax relief, working families, small businesses and family
farms need more of their hard earned money to put this economy back on its feet,” said Pence.
As for health care, McMorris-Rodgers explained that “We cannot forget that doctors are the experts, we must guard that relationship between the doctor and his patient; it is one of the most valued relationships
that we have,” adding that “We can reform health care, and we can give options to the uninsured without the federal government setting up shop as a big health insurance company or the health care gate keeper.”
U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) has introduced a resolution to show support for citizens in Iran who voted against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Rep. Pence described these citizens as being in a struggle for “freedom, civil liberties and the protection of the rule of law.” The Congressman said the resolution will also acknowledge U.S. concern over irregularities reported in the June 12 Iranian Presidential election.
Pence added that the resolution “will condemn the violence against demonstrators by pro-government militia in Tehran in the wake of the elections. It will affirm our belief in the individuality of individual rights and the importance of democratic and fair elections.”
The Congressman remarked that he appreciated President Obama’s comments yesterday about the troubling violence in Tehran. However, he believes the administration should do more to express the “unqualified support of the American people” for Iranians fighting for free elections and democracy.
“We cannot stand idly by, speak of Iran’s sovereignty, speak of her own right to choose her own leadership at a time when hundreds of thousands of Iranians are risking their lives to stand up for free elections and democracy,” added Pence.
At a press conference today, leading Republican Party members’ discussed their House Republican Housing Plan proposal.
Congressman Cantor said, “The notion in this country is you work hard, you play by the rules and that you can get a reward. This administration in the housing area doesn’t quite jive with that sense of the American spirit. Instead what we have seen are proposals that call upon the 90 some percent of the Americans, who are paying their mortgage, playing by the rules, calling on them to subsidize those who don’t. So the plan we have unveiled today responds to that notion and speaks to all Americans and tries to address the severe problem with excess and home inventories.”
Congressman Cantor added that this was a “central element to addressing the bank failures and capital markets failures.”
The Republican plan says that it can “provide a $5,000 refinancing tax credit to help families cover the costs of a mortgage refinancing, buy down points, or reduce their principle balance (covers refinancing through July 1, 2010).” The plan also states that, “in exchange for a lender investing in keeping a homeowner in their family home by refinancing their mortgage and lowering their monthly payments, if the homeowner agrees to share a portion of future home appreciation with the lender, then the lender will not be taxed on that future profit and the borrower will not incur any tax liability as a result of the refinancing (covers refinancing through July 1, 2010).”
Congressman Pence said, “Welcome to the next installment of the party of yes. Yes to new solutions, yes to alternatives that will resonate with millions of Americans because they are grounded in the timeless personal responsibility.
Congressman Pence added, “Unfortunately our democratic colleagues have only offered failed policies that reward bad behavior and massively expand government programs. The Republicans today unveil a better solution, and when the American people have a chance to look at it I believe most of them will agree.”
At a House GOP leadership stakeout this morning Republican leader Congressman John Boehner (R-OH), Republican whip Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) criticized President Obama’s budget proposals prior to his press conference this evening.
They accused the budget of “spending too much, borrow too much and taxing too much.”
Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) accused President Obama’s budget of “bringing forward the largest tax increase in American history” and “adding more than one trillion dollars to the national debt every year, for the next ten years,” at a House GOP stakeout today. He labeled the budget “fiscally irresponsible.”
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) led a news conference to call for members of Congress to sign the discharge petition for the Broadcaster Freedom Act by Radio Independence Day, July 4th. Both Boehner and Pence voiced their concern on Americans’ right to free speech over the radio. (more…)
