Three of the four Hampton Roads lawmakers voted against a House health care reform bill late Saturday, one of them a Democrat who broke ranks with his party.
Rep. Glenn Nye, D- Norfolk, whose district includes Virginia Beach and part of Hampton, joined Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Randy Forbes, R- Chesapeake, in voting against the bill. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D- Newport News, voted to approve the bill.
Nye said in a statement that the version of the bill achieves many of the goals he set for health care reform, including ensuring access to coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions. But the bill does not reduce the overall cost of health care for families, small businesses or taxpayers, he said.
"Health care costs are crippling our small businesses and forcing families into bankruptcy and any reform plan needs to reduce those costs," Nye said.
Although the version of the bill took steps to lower the deficit in the short term, the Congressional Budget Office said it doesn't address the fundamental problem of reducing skyrocketing health care costs, he said.
"Small businesses are facing increases of 10 to 20 percent in their health care premiums each year and I am not convinced that this bill would fix that problem next year or the year after," he said.
Scott said in a statement that he was proud to vote in favor of health insurance reform legislation that gives Americans more choice in their health insurance options.
"Skyrocketing health care costs are hurting families and forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits," Scott said. "Americans are losing coverage at a rate of 14,000 a day. Continuing on this path is not an option."
Forbes said in a statement that the 2,000-page bill will be judged more for what is missing than what it contains. That includes missing care for those who will wait on long lists for rationed health services and missing jobs resulting from the legislation's crushing taxes and regulations.
It is also missing the "voice of our doctors who will be increasingly controlled by Washington bureaucrats; the missing ideas of reasonable, impactful and bipartisan alternatives proposed by Republicans and moderate Democrats; the missing integrity of an institution marred by months of infighting and political maneuvering; and most importantly, the missing voice of the American people."
Wittman said he hoped the bill would be modified as it moves through the Senate and then, in all likelihood, a conference committee.
"Today, we've witnessed what continues to be a flawed legislative process in Washington when it comes to providing common ground and common sense solutions to the problems facing the Commonwealth and nation," Wittman said. "Throughout the process of crafting healthcare legislation I've formed a First District Healthcare Advisory Council, held town hall and telephone town hall meetings, and received thousands of emails, phone calls, and letters with an overwhelming message not to vote for a reform package that included a government takeover of our healthcare system. With my vote, I brought the message from my constituents directly to Congress."
"While this bill has passed today, there is still much in the way to go of the legislative process. I remain optimistic as the Senate works on their legislation and as Congress meets to craft a final bill that we will focus on the true tenets of reform: allowing the sale of insurance across state lines, enacting meaningful tort reform, and allowing those with preexisting conditions to purchase affordable coverage.
"We owe it to the American people to get it right when it comes to reforming something that affects every single American and encompasses nearly 1/5 of our economy. We need reform that will truly lower costs, not create more bureaucracy and new government programs at the price of further debt upon an already bloated budget."
Rep. Glenn Nye, D- Norfolk, whose district includes Virginia Beach and part of Hampton, joined Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Randy Forbes, R- Chesapeake, in voting against the bill. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D- Newport News, voted to approve the bill.
Nye said in a statement that the version of the bill achieves many of the goals he set for health care reform, including ensuring access to coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions. But the bill does not reduce the overall cost of health care for families, small businesses or taxpayers, he said.
"Health care costs are crippling our small businesses and forcing families into bankruptcy and any reform plan needs to reduce those costs," Nye said.
Although the version of the bill took steps to lower the deficit in the short term, the Congressional Budget Office said it doesn't address the fundamental problem of reducing skyrocketing health care costs, he said.
"Small businesses are facing increases of 10 to 20 percent in their health care premiums each year and I am not convinced that this bill would fix that problem next year or the year after," he said.
Scott said in a statement that he was proud to vote in favor of health insurance reform legislation that gives Americans more choice in their health insurance options.
"Skyrocketing health care costs are hurting families and forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits," Scott said. "Americans are losing coverage at a rate of 14,000 a day. Continuing on this path is not an option."
Forbes said in a statement that the 2,000-page bill will be judged more for what is missing than what it contains. That includes missing care for those who will wait on long lists for rationed health services and missing jobs resulting from the legislation's crushing taxes and regulations.
It is also missing the "voice of our doctors who will be increasingly controlled by Washington bureaucrats; the missing ideas of reasonable, impactful and bipartisan alternatives proposed by Republicans and moderate Democrats; the missing integrity of an institution marred by months of infighting and political maneuvering; and most importantly, the missing voice of the American people."
Wittman said he hoped the bill would be modified as it moves through the Senate and then, in all likelihood, a conference committee.
"Today, we've witnessed what continues to be a flawed legislative process in Washington when it comes to providing common ground and common sense solutions to the problems facing the Commonwealth and nation," Wittman said. "Throughout the process of crafting healthcare legislation I've formed a First District Healthcare Advisory Council, held town hall and telephone town hall meetings, and received thousands of emails, phone calls, and letters with an overwhelming message not to vote for a reform package that included a government takeover of our healthcare system. With my vote, I brought the message from my constituents directly to Congress."
"While this bill has passed today, there is still much in the way to go of the legislative process. I remain optimistic as the Senate works on their legislation and as Congress meets to craft a final bill that we will focus on the true tenets of reform: allowing the sale of insurance across state lines, enacting meaningful tort reform, and allowing those with preexisting conditions to purchase affordable coverage.
"We owe it to the American people to get it right when it comes to reforming something that affects every single American and encompasses nearly 1/5 of our economy. We need reform that will truly lower costs, not create more bureaucracy and new government programs at the price of further debt upon an already bloated budget."
The bill at a glance
A sweeping health care bill passed 220-215 Saturday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate will now begin debate on health care reform.
•The bill would expand health coverage to tens of millions of Americans.
•The bill places restrictions on insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on pre-existing conditions.
•The bill was 1,990 pages long and is expected to cost $1.2 trillion over the next decade.
