Senate Proceeding on Nov 19th, 2009 :: 9:22:20 to 9:51:00
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9:22:04 to 9:22:25( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: to proceed to h.r. 3590. if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it adjourn under the previous order following the remarks by and hatch. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: i want to thank my i'd like to take my time to talk about the c health care reform as this body

9:22:20 to 9:51:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Orrin Hatch

9:22:26 to 9:22:48( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: stands at a historic crossroads on this national we've never seen anything like the issues facing our country right now. the line between private businesses and public government has never been so blurred. just look at this chart here. government several of our nation's

9:22:49 to 9:23:09( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: institutions. insurance companies, financial institutions, banks, insurance companies, and automobile manufacturers. c.e.'s have been fired by government bureaucrats. and washington is now in the business of dictating salaries in the private sector. with government takeovers on the

9:23:10 to 9:23:32( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: rise, drastic labor law changes being pushed forward and sweeping new corporate taxes circling overhead, we are truly moving towards a european-tile government at a time -- style government at a time when most european countries are moving away with it. i blifer these -- deliver these remarks with a heavy heart, what could have been a strong

9:23:33 to 9:23:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: bipartisan bill, reflecting our desire for responsible health care reform, one-sixth of the american economy continues to be an extremely partisan exercise pushing for more federal spending, bigger government, and higher taxes solution. in the outset let me make one point as clearly as possible, we are all for reform.

9:23:54 to 9:24:15( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: everybody on this floor. every republican colleague that i've talked to wants to reform our current health care system. ensuring access to and quality health care is not a republican nor is it a democrat issue or idea. it is an american issue. our nation expects us to solve the challenge in an open,

9:24:16 to 9:24:39( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: honest, and responsible manner. clearly health care spending continues to grow too fast. this year will mark the largest ever one-year jump in health care share of our g.d.p., a full percentage point to 17.6%. growing health care costs translate directly into higher coverage costs.

9:24:40 to 9:25:02( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: since the last decade the cost of health coverage has increased by 120%. three times the growth of inflation and four times the growth of wages. rising costs is the primary driver behind why we continue to see a rising number of uninsured in our country. and why increasing numbers of businesses find it hard to

9:25:03 to 9:25:23( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: compete in a global market. without addressing this central problem, we cannot have a real and sustainable health care reform bill. unfortunately, the senate health bill, according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, will actually increase federal spending by $160 billion in the next 10 years instead of lowering it.

9:25:24 to 9:25:46( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: mr. president, you heard me right. it will increase spending. after the rushed stimulus bill, americans are rightly concerned about what is being pushed with this democratic congress. the rus will affect every american life and business has raised concerns all around our nation. in a recent gallup poll, the

9:25:47 to 9:26:07( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: majority of americans believed that their health care costs could actually get worse under the democratic health care plans. so why are americans so skeptical and concerned? because they are being promised the impossible. they're being told that this trillion dollar addition of taxpayer dollars to our health

9:26:08 to 9:26:32( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: care system will actually preserve their current benefits, not raise their taxes, nor will it reduce t federal deficit. even david copperfield would be hard pressed to pull this trick off. many americans recently had a firsthand encounter with the efficiency of the federal government in administering the

9:26:33 to 9:26:55( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: h1n1 vaccination, their experience consisted standing in long lines for several hours only to be told they were suddenly out of doses. republicans and congress agree with the majority of americans who believe that throwing more hard-earned taxpayers dollars at a problem will not deliver meaningful reform. simply telling the american people that e solution for

9:26:56 to 9:27:17( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: solving a $2 trillion health care system is to simply spend another $2.5 trillion, it just doesn't make sense. we're nearly $500 billion in new taxes, thi big stack of papers is the textbook example of the liberal tax and spend philosophy.

9:27:18 to 9:27:38( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: now, compare that wit constitution of the united ates. this contains the most -- and, plus a lot of other this contains the whole constitution of the united states. and, yet, we've got a health care bill that is 2,024 p

9:27:39 to 9:28:00( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: long. i mean, come on. that's an example of the liberal tax and spend philosophy that we see around here. now, here's some of the piece -- this piece of equipment. this bill. this massi, massive bill.

9:28:01 to 9:28:22( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i can hardly lift the darn thing. employers through a mandate that will disproportionately affect low-income americans, and all of the time when our unemployment rate stands at an unacceptable 10.2%. $8 billion in new taxes on

9:28:23 to 9:28:43( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: americans who fail to buy a washington defined level of health care coverage. $372 billion in new taxes on evything from insurance premiums to prescription drugs to hearing devices and wheelchairs. all of which are going to be passed on to the consumers. most all of whom are earning

9:28:44 to 9:29:04( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: less than $200,000 aear. like i said, there is no such thing as a free lunch, especially when -- when washington is inviting you over. representatives from both the congressional budget office, the c.b.o., and the joint commission on taxation, j.c.t., have testified before the finance committee that these taxes will be passed on to the consumers.

9:29:05 to 9:29:25( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: that's you and me. that's you and me and every other constituent in this country. so even though the bill tries to hides these costs as indirect taxes, average americans who purchase health plans use prescription drugs and buy medical devices, everything from hearing aids to crutches, will end up footing the bill.

9:29:26 to 9:29:46( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: by the way, we all know when this bill is fully implemented, it will cost significantly more. every time washington tells you that something will cost $10, you can count on it costi history is -- medicare started

9:29:47 to 9:30:09( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: off with $65 million -- that is with an "m" -- now has ads 400 billion budget. look for the taxes to go up in the future as we've just given the federal government a whole new checkbook if we pass this bill. archuleta me also talk -- let me also talk a little bit

9:30:10 to 9:30:31( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: about the myth of health care reducing the deficit. the congressional budget office recently reported that our national 2009 alone was a shocking $1.4 trillion. let me put this in perspective. we have exploding deficits.

9:30:32 to 9:30:52( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: in 2008 it was $459 billion, the last year of the bush administration, in the first year of the obama administration, it's $1.4 trillion. that's the highest since 1945. it is almost 10% of the entire economy.

9:30:53 to 9:31:15( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: this is the largest yearly deficit since 1945. this should send shivers down the spine of every american out there. we are literally drowning this nation and the future of this nation in a sea of red ink. the biggest bait-and-switch on

9:31:16 to 9:31:37( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: the american people's impact of the bill -- just do it for five years. most of the major -- and call it ten years. most of the spending provisions of the bill do not go into effect until 2014 or even later. coes insolent rts did notly, after the -- coincidentally,

9:31:38 to 9:32:00( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: after the 2012 elections. so what we're seeing is not a full four-year score but, rather, a six-year score. this is the real cost of the senate plan. the c.b.o.'s score -- because it only scores really basically five or six years because they don't even have it implemented until 2014 and in some respects

9:32:01 to 9:32:21( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: up to 2015 trillion. now, in the preliminary analysis of the c.b.o., the congressional budget office, fully implemented, if you do it for 10

9:32:22 to 9:32:42( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: years it's $2.5 trillion. now, the hospitals are at an even more astonishing level $3 let me go to chart four year. in our current fiscal environment where the government will have to borrow nearly 43

9:32:43 to 9:33:03( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: cents of every dollar we spend, of every dollar it spends this year, let's think hard about what we're doing to our country and our future generations. for months i have been pushing for aiscallyesponsible and step-by-step proposal that recognizes our current need ford spending restraint while starting us down and on a path to sustainable health care reform.

9:33:04 to 9:33:25( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: there are several areas of consensus that can form the basis for a sustainable, fiscally responsible, and bipartisan reform. these include refortunately forming the health insurance mact for every american by make sure no american is denied coverage sixly based on a preexisting condition.

9:33:26 to 9:33:47( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: protecting the coverage for almost 85% of americans who already have coverage they like by making it more affordable. this means reducing costs by rewarding quality and coshed -- and coordinated care. by giving families more information about the cost of coverage and treatment options, by discourage frivolous lawsuits

9:33:48 to 9:34:08( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and by promoting prevention and wellness measures. we should give states flexibility to design their own unique approaches to health care reform in accordance with their own demographics. utah is not new jersey and new jersey is not utah. actually, what works in new york or new jersey will most likely not work in new york or new

9:34:09 to 9:34:30( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: jersey let alone utah. as we move forward on health care reform, it is important to recognize that every state has its own unique mix of demographics, and each state has developed its own institutions to address its challenges, and each has its own successes. there is an enormous reservoir of expertise, experience, and field-tested reform out there.

9:34:31 to 9:34:52( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: we should take advantage of that by placing states at the center of health care reform efforts so that they can use approaches that best reflect their needs and challenges. we should utilize the principle of federalism by having 50 state laboratories where we can playbook at the other states and see what works and what doesn't. utah is a state where we have a tremendous health care system.

9:34:53 to 9:35:14( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: it's rated one of the top three in this nation. wouldn't other states be benefited by looking at ther utah system? or minnesota? minnesota is a very good system, according to what they tell me. we could learn from them. you could learn from all 1350 states what to do -- from all 50 states what to do and what not to do.

9:35:15 to 9:35:36( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: utah has taken aggressive and important steps towards affordable health care reform. the defined contribution health benefit system and implement the utah health exchange are laudable accomplishments. just like you, i strongly believe that a one-size-fits-all washington solution not the right approach. we should empower small

9:35:37 to 9:35:57( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: businesses a self-employed entrepreneurs, the job-creating engines and life blood of our economy, to buy affordable coverage by giving them the same purchasing advantages as the large companies. unfortunately, the path we're taking in washington right now is simply to spend 2340 erdz.5 there will of taxpayer -- to

9:35:58 to 9:36:18( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: spend another $2 pay 0 trillion of taxpayer money. republicans want to sit down and bright a bill together to achieve sustainable reform that we can all afford. we do not believe in the "our way or the highway" approach. republicans have put forth ideas

9:36:19 to 9:36:39( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: both comprehensive and in care reform debate, especially during committee considerations. these ideas were either summarily rejected on party line votes or stripped out in the dark of the night while the final version was released and this version no exception. this version was done in the

9:36:40 to 9:37:01( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: back rooms of the capitol with the whit house and just a very few senators cobbling together what they thought would be a promise between the "help" bill and the finance committee bill and maybe even with some consideration to the house bill. there was no real bipartisan work on this bill. there was no real attempt to try and bring people together. it was just strictly is a

9:37:02 to 9:37:22( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: partisan bill, as have been the "help" committee bill, primarily the finance committee bill, and, above all, the house committee -- the house bill. i'm especially disappointed that the president and the democratic leadership in the house and the senate have chosen to pursue the creation after new government-run plan, one of the most divisive issues in health

9:37:23 to 9:37:43( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: care reform. rather than focusing on broad areas of compromise that can lead us towards bipartisan health care reform legislation. at a time when major government programs like medicare and medicaid are already on a path to fiscal insolvency, creating a brand-new government program will only worsen our long-term

9:37:44 to 9:38:05( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: financial outlook. to put this in perspective, as of this year, medicare has a liability of almost $38 trillion, which in turn translates into a financial burden of more than $300,000 per what is the washington solution to address this program and cris?

9:38:06 to 9:38:26( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: well, take up to $500 billion out of this bankrupt program and use it to expand another bankrupt program -- medicaid -- and create a brand-new washington-run plan. washington government-run plan. i'm not an economist, but i know

9:38:27 to 9:38:48( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: that taking money out of one bankrupt program to create another is not a good idea. we should be reforming medicare and medicaid for our people. but instead we just keep spending. and to take $500 billion out of medicare that has an unfunded liability, i think it is

9:38:49 to 9:39:10( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: immomplet it's certainly not very economically sound. well, i could keep going but the point here is simple. washington is not the answer. the impact of a new government program on families who currently have private insurance of their choice is also alarming. a recent study estimated that cost shifting from government

9:39:11 to 9:39:32( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: payers already costs families with private insurance nearly $1,800 per year. this is nothing more than another hidden government tax. you all get that? because medicare pays doctors 20% less and pays hospitals 30% less and other providers even less. those who have private health

9:39:33 to 9:39:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: insurance have to pick up the costs, and it averages $1,800 per family. think about that. that's because government has been running those programs, creating another governmen will further increase these costs on our families in utah and across this country. let me take a couple of minutes

9:39:54 to 9:40:15( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: to talk about process. the democratic leadership spent almost -- well, they took six weeks behind closed doors to write this bill. it's only fair to expect that we will at least have 72 hours, you

9:40:16 to 9:40:41( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: know, to review these 2,074 -- pages. this thing right here. this is the bill. my gosh, 2,074 pages. tolstoy's "war and peace" is shorter.

9:40:42 to 9:41:02( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: this is have at least 72 hours to review these 2,074 pages before beginning any senate floor action. we're going to vote on saturday at 8:00 on whether or not we should proceed, but it won't be proceeding to this bill. it's going to be proceeding to shell bill.

9:41:03 to 9:41:25( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and if they are able to proceed, then they ll bring up a substitute bill, which will be the bill that they've worked on for six weeks in closed rooms. it'll be a shell bill that'll get it going. it's a shell game. between you and me, one that's

9:41:26 to 9:41:47( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: done right here in washington by people who believe that the federal government is the last answer to everything. there's a tbhail affects every american life and every american business, 2,074 pages is too big and it is too important not to have full public review. in fact, i think 72 hours is ridiculous.

9:41:48 to 9:42:09( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: we're talking about one the american economy. to enact true health care reform we have to come together as one to write a responsible bill for the american families who are faced with rising unemployment and out-of-control health care costs.

9:42:10 to 9:42:31( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: now, our national debt, it's ready to double in the next five years. look at that. it's ready to -- the red lines. that's the projected national debt under the current administration. that debt is projected to double in the next five years and triple in the next ten years.

9:42:32 to 9:42:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: let me tell you who catches on to this. it's our friends over in china to whom we owe $8 billion. -- $800 billion. think about t they're concerned about the devaluation of the federal dollar, of the american dollar, because they see us being profligate leer in

9:42:54 to 9:43:15( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: washington. let's slow down and any about wh we're doing to our future generations. i think there's still time to press the reset button and write a bill together that every one of us can support and be proud of. right now republicans aren't just standing in the way. we actually believe we could

9:43:16 to 9:43:37( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: a bipartisan bill if we had a chance, if we had a real good-faith effort by both sides. the "help" committee bill wasn't done that way. we didn't have a markup in the "help" committee and almost every substantive amendment was voted down a party-line vote. the same thin basically happened in the finance mmittee, although i have to say that the distinguished

9:43:38 to 9:43:58( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: senator from montana, the chairman of the finance committee, made every effort to try and bring people together. and i give him a lost credit for t but he was so severely restricted by his side that there was no way that people could support it. i was a member of the gang of 7,

9:43:59 to 9:44:19( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: but i kept -- i began to realize what the final bill was going to be. i couldn't support it. so i thought the honorable thing to do instead of coming oust ever one of of our -- coming out of every one of our meetings and finding fault of it was to leave the gang of 7. and i did that. i felt bad doing it because i wanted to help work on a

9:44:20 to 9:44:40( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: bipartisan bill,ut the distinguished chairman was so restricted by his side that there was no way that we could have a bipartisan bill. -- a bipartisan bill out that have committee. and it's disappointing to me as somebody who's worked on so health care matters over the years, everything from

9:44:41 to 9:45:02( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: hatch-waxman to the orphan drug bill to the chip bill, you could name it -- that we didn't have the guts or the ability to sit down and work this thing out together. now, we're getting sold a bill of goods make sense.

9:45:03 to 9:45:25( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i mean, this is a travesty. it's a travesty. it's hard to believe that they think they can pawn this off an the american people. my gosh, i know folks have done this are well-intentioned, and i love and appreciate them in many ways,

9:45:26 to 9:45:47( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: but not for this stuff. i was going to say something else, but i want to be very kind here. the constitution -- this is the whole constitution. the most important document -- political document in the history of the world plus, it's got a lot of

9:45:48 to 9:46:08( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: interesting stuff in the back and in the forward also. here's what one-sixth of the american me and going to be if we allow it to go forward. now, i personally believe we ought to kill this bill and then we ought to sit down and work it out together. and if there was a real bona fide attempt to do that, i have no doubt we could do it.

9:46:09 to 9:46:31( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: we've done it in the past. one of the things that i've the polls show that 85% of the people who have insurance are relatively happy with it. yes, they'd like to -- they'd li premiums to go down. they'd like to be able to have it even be better. but they're basically happy with

9:46:32 to 9:46:52( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: their health care coverage. if you deduct the 6 million people who work for businesses that provide health insurance but they don't take it -- they'd rather have the money -- you deduct the 11 million people who qualify for "chip," child health insurance program -- that's a hatch-kennedy bill, by the wa

9:46:53 to 9:47:14( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: way -- and they call phi for medicaid too, if you deduct those 11 million people and then you deduct the 9 million people who earn over $75,000 a year and can afford their own health insurance and tn you take away the illegal aliens and others in this country who -- who are part

9:47:15 to 9:47:37( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: of this, it comes down to 7 million to 15 million people who need health insurance. think about that. we're going to throw out the whole system of health care 85% of their people basically believe is worthwhile over, at

9:47:38 to 9:47:59( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: the most, 15 million people that we could subsidize and help in a way that would be reasonable. and we're going to change our health care system from a state -- from state-run systems and bring it right here to washington, where a bunch of federal removed from people in the states who determine every

9:48:00 to 9:48:20( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: aspect of health care in our lives and run our health care system into the ground even further like they have medicare and medicaid. without the appropriate reforms that really would keep those programs that could be great programs and are great programs in some -- ways going. now, they'll say, well, aren't those government programs? yeah, they are government

9:48:21 to 9:48:41( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: programs and they're both deeply in debt. medicare goes into insolvency by 2017. maybe it will be as late as 2019 but it's probably 2017. medicare the same way. what are we going to do? saddle our young people for the rest of their lives with untold expenses?

9:48:42 to 9:49:03( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: we're going to saddle them with this huge stack of paper? my gosh, no wonder we're in such deep financial difficulties in this country. if we're going to rely on the federal government to solve our problems, we're making the most

9:49:04 to 9:49:27( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: tragic mistake we possibly can. but the federal government could participate, but let me tell you you, if we work on a bipartisan bill point. if you have a bill that affects one-sixth of the american economy -- and whatever passes here, if it does, will be a bill that will be concerned with one-sixth of our american

9:49:28 to 9:49:48( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: economy -- if you have a bill that's that important and you can' get 75 or 80 votes in the united states senate, you know that's a doggone lousy bill. and you know that it's a partisan bill. and you know it hasn't been well thought out. and you know that it's one-sided. and you know that it's going to cause

9:49:49 to 9:50:11( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: country like it's never been seen before. it already is and you know it won't work. and yet we're going to saddle this country with this monstrosity? i've got to tell you, i can't hardly believe it. i can hardly lift it. and i'm not exactly weak. all i can say is that that's a

9:50:12 to 9:50:32( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: huge monstrosity. think of the constitution. here's the whole constitution right here have a health care bill this big. well, i'm really concerned about it, as you can see, and i'm worked up about it, because there are some of us who would really like to work together and do a bipartisan bill but we've -- let's be honest about it, there hasn't been any chance

9:50:33 to 9:50:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: to do it. and this bill in particular has been worked out in the back rooms between the white house and a very few senators and without any input from our side at all. and, frankly, ignoring much of the good things that have been expressed on our side.

9:50:54 to 9:51:00( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: mr. president, i hope that we'll think through and i hope we won't pass this, and then i hope that we can sit down and really