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U.S. Rep. Latham: Latham statement on House passage of $1.2 trillion health care legislation
11/9/2009

Contact: Fred Love 202-225-5476 fred.love@mail.house.gov


WASHINGTON, DC – Iowa Congressman Tom Latham issued the following statement following the approval by the U.S. House of Representatives of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's $1.2 trillion health care legislation:

"There’s no question that health care costs too much in this country, but we can solve that problem without a $1.2 trillion government takeover of our health care system. The bill approved by the House of Representatives today will raise costs for a wide range of Iowans, smother job growth with costly mandates for small businesses and slash $500 billion from Medicare.

The bill requires the Institute of Medicine to determine future Medicare reimbursement rates, but that arrangement lacks any guarantee that Iowa’s reimbursement rates, which are among the lowest in the country, will see any kind of improvement. However, the bill contains a provision that specifically raises Medicare reimbursement rates in 14 counties in California, which is the home state of Rep. Henry Waxman, one of the bill’s main authors.

I’ve proposed a number of common-sense reforms to rein in health care costs. For instance, we can crack down on frivolous malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to pool together across state lines to negotiate for lower premiums. I stand with the American people in their demand for health care reform that reduces costs, but a government takeover of health care is not the answer."




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