Third District U.S. Congressman Mark Souder spoke Friday about his opposition to the House's passage of HR 3962, the health care reform bill.
Souder spoke for an hour during Friday afternoon's Warsaw Rotary Club meeting at Ramada Plaza.
The House passed the health care reform bill Nov. 7 by a narrow margin of 220-215. The bill's estimated cost is $1.1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Souder voted in favor of the House Republican alternative bill because, while he said it is not perfect, it is reasonable. He said it lowers health care premiums and ensures coverage for those with pre-existing conditions at only a fraction of the cost of the Democrats' plan.
"It's been an extraordinary time where we've added more debt and debt obligations in 10 months than we have in the history of the U.S. of all the presidents combined," Souder said.
He said the government does not need to take over health care and raise costs on small businesses and not pass cap and trade.
"This has been one of the most frustrating periods we have ever been in regarding the debate over health care," Souder said.
He said he does not support a bill that raises taxes, restricts job growth, facilitates an unconstitutional takeover of 17 percent of the economy and spends trillions of dollars.
He said, under the single-payer system, federal bureaucrats will decide the course of action, not doctors and patients.
He said the question is will there be a takeover on small businesses as an option.
The other option is if a person wants to carry their own insurance, they can be covered by the government.
He argued the net profit of the different loan companies are minimal and said the federal government can't deliver the costs.
Souder answered questions about the health bill.A rotary member said many in Warsaw work in the medical device industry and there is supposed to be a 4-percent surtax for the medical device industry in the bill. He said he is concerned about the impact of the surtax and wondered if it would be remaining as legislation passes through or would there be hope of getting it repealed.
Souder said the bill raises taxes on small business owners and severely taxes innovation in the medical device industry in Kosciusko County.
Souder said he thinks it is safe to say the House bill tax isn't as likely to survive as the Senate bill tax.
The senate bill tax was 10 to 40 percent based on the market share, and there is a deal to get down to 5 to 20 percent.
He said the government claims it wants to be at the cutting edge of biosciences and technology, but the pharmaceutical and medical device companies are being hammered with taxes.
"I have tried to point out if you attack profit you can't get retained earnings, and without retained earnings you don't have capital," Souder said.
He said if the government continues to try to attack profit there can't be capitalism if there's not profit.
"This is a conviction of the leadership that there will be a tax on the orthopedics industry," Souder said.
Souder said health care can't be provided for free. Part of the reason Republicans are struggling is to get a realistic solution that takes about the same amount of money as the Democrat plan, he said.
"If you say you can't do it with money, we are looking at socialized medicine with no private pay and the question is, can we set up a counter system that still leads the free market and addresses the high risk?" Souder said.
He said the health care bill does not reward preventative care. He said one of the unusual things about the U.S. is the quality of care is not only in big cities, but smaller cities like Warsaw.
