October 29th, 2009, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today urged members of the House of Representatives to reject the latest $894 billion “public option” proposal unveiled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
“Members of Congress are now faced with the ultimate moral dilemma,” said Wilson. “Do they represent the people of their districts, who do not want their health care taken over by government, rationed, and watered-down, nor their taxes raised, the budget broken, and Medicare cut to pay for it? Or do they represent Nancy Pelosi, who does want all of those things?”
Today, on the steps of the Capitol, Pelosi and Hoyer presented the consolidated version of the “public option” to the nation, as reported by Politico. Debate is slated to begin next week on the House floor.
The entitlement is reported to extend to 36 million people at a cost of $894 billion over ten years. Politico reported that according to the Congressional Budget Office, “the legislation is projected to create deficits over the second five years.”
“An entitlement is not ‘deficit-neutral’ if it will only allegedly operate in the black for 5 years and then leaves taxpayers in the red every year thereafter. This is just one more unsustainable entitlement that Congress is creating. It will raises taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars, cut Medicare by hundreds of billions more, and in the end, will still generate deficits that will ultimately bankrupt the public treasury,” Wilson noted.
“All for a non-emergency—over 280 million Americans already have health insurance. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation,” Wilson added.
In 2007, the U.S. spent $2.4 trillion in total health care spending, and the price tag for health care expenditures, NCHC projects, will rise to $3.1 trillion by 2012, and $4.3 trillion by 2016. As of 2006, the Census Bureau estimates that some 201.7 million, or 71.5 percent of Americans with health insurance, get their insurance privately. 28.5 percent of those with insurance, or 80.3 million, get it from the government.
“Another big problem for Congress is that it intends to only spend on average $2,483 per individual. Only, that’s more than $2,000 less than what an average premium actually costs—some $4,700,” Wilson said.
“That means this will be below-average, watered-down health care that will only diminish in quality over the years as more private insurers are driven out of business and more people forced onto the government-run plan,” Wilson added.
Americans for Limited Government estimates that “public option” legislation will cost more than $2.1 trillion over ten years once fully implemented.
“Members of the House have some soul-searching to do. Nancy Pelosi has completely gone insane if she thinks the American people will support this ‘public option’ any more than the other six ‘public options’ that have already been presented,” Wilson said.
According to Rasmussen Reports, 57 percent of voters nationwide believe it will raise the cost of health care, and 53 percent believe the quality of care will get worse. And 63 percent “are strongly opposed to a public option if they think it could lead employers to drop the existing coverage they provide employees.”
A full 51 percent are opposed to the plan. And according to a recent FOX News poll, Independents, a critical voting bloc in swing congressional districts, oppose ObamaCare by 62 percent to 23 percent.
Wilson concluded by asking representatives, “Where do you stand? Who do you represent? Washington, or your constituents?”
Interview Availability: Please contact Alex Rosenwald at (703)383-0880 or at arosenwald@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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