0:58:21 to 0:58:41( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: can before we act. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding office the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: much time is left on our the presiding officer: 9 minutes and 15 seconds. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. i want to say to my colleague from nebraska, former governor and now senator from that state,

0:58:42 to 0:59:03( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: am i one of the signatures on the letter that he has sent requesting that we get cost data before we move forward on this and what the impact is going to be? because that really is the issue. i've listened to some of the discussion that's occurred on the floor this morning. the senator from illinois was down here earlier, senator durbin, republicans are attacking the house bill.

0:59:25 to 0:59:45( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: talking about the house-passed bill because there isn't a senate bill. now, there are two senate versions that have passed senate committees. the finance committee's passed a bill. the health, education, labor and pensions committee passed a bill, but the merger of those bills i doors in direct contradiction of what was promised earlier about health care reform.

1:00:07 to 1:00:28( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: we are left with talking about a house bill because t senate bill. now, we're told that this week we're going to see it, and i hope that's the case, because we would love to be able to react to the senate bill and we would love to know what it's going to cost and the american people would love to know what it's going to cost and they also would like to have some time to look at it before we start voting on it in the senate. my understanding is that this is

1:00:50 to 1:01:11( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: amendment, one amendment in the house. well, i think we're going to have to make sure here in the senate that this gets done right and that's going to take some time. mr. president, when the no child left behind legislation was debated in the senate, it took seven weeks on the floor here. we had an energy bill, a comprehensive energy bill a few years ago that took eight weeks on the floor of the senate. the farm bill that passed in the last session of congress took

1:01:33 to 1:01:54( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: state in sioux falls last week. the governor of my governor rounds participated, as did s owners. hi a restaurant owner. i had a retail pharmacy, a chain drugstore manager. i had a small business owner who manufactures wood products. they were all there, and they're all concerned about the same thing. they're all concerned about

1:02:16 to 1:02:36( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: this country in terms of coverage d so i agree with the other side, with the senator from illinois who was up here earlier saying that cost is the issue, people care about costs. that's what i care about. that's what the people in my state of south dakota care about, is how do we get the costs for health car care coverage down in this country? well, the ironic thing about

1:02:58 to 1:03:19( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: closed doors, but the house-passed bill, the 2,200-page monstrosity that passed the house of repres senate bills that we've seen so far that have been produced by committees all have the same basic characteristicsbout them. the first is

1:03:42 to 1:04:02( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: see a huge tax increase that's going to hit them. small businesses because of the pay or play mandate which supposedly under the house bill raises $135 billion are going to see their taxes so-called high-income earners, $50000 and above are going to see their taxes go up because there is going to be a surtax applied earners.

1:04:25 to 1:04:45( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: the job creators in our economy. the engine of eco in america. three quarters of our jobs at least -- they say two-thirds or three quarters of jobs in this country are created by small businesses, and we're going to raise taxes on them. and in fact, the highest marginal income tax rate if this thing passes next year with the expiration of tax cuts that were

1:05:08 to 1:05:28( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: financed with medicare cuts. the characteristics that are consistent with regard to all these proposals. you have got higher taxes. you have also got medicare cuts to the tune of half a trillion dollars a year which as my colleagues have already pointed out earlier this morning are really going to hit -- you know,

1:05:50 to 1:06:12( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: that these plans all have in common, in addition to higher taxe and medicare cuts is higher health care costs, premiums. the c.m.s. actuary that just came out last week with a report that described the bill says it is going to increase the cost of health care in this country by $289 billion.

1:06:34 to 1:06:54( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: it also said we're going to see the chief actuary concluded that 12 million people would lose their employer-sponsored coverage because smaller employers would be inclined to terminate coverage so their workers would qualify for heavily subsidized coverage through the exchange. now, the biggest number of people that are going to get covered under the bill are going to get covered because they are going to be pushed into medicaid which under this proposal does

1:07:16 to 1:07:38( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: costs to the states to pay for this because medicare is a partnership between the states and the federal government. and so your -- any we get, about 60% of the people who are going to get coverage because of this bill are going to get it through medicaid at an enormous additional cost to the stat which is going to be passed on to taxpayers in the individual states around this country.

1:08:01 to 1:08:21( Edit History Discussion )

John Thune: care reform that raises costs in the way that these proposals would do. finally, i would say in response to what the other side has said that republicans don't have alternatives. wrong again. republicans have consistently supported and proposed step-by-step solution that is would do this and do it right so that it does drive of health care. interstate competion, allowing