Burgess Statement on Health Care Repeal Vote
Posted by Whitney Thompson on July 11, 2012
Burgess Statement on Health Care Repeal Vote
“The health care system in America needs reform and improvements, but the law that was passed will cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars, will not improve care, nor will it make care more affordable.”

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6079, Repeal of Obamacare Act, by a vote of 244 to 185.

“Americans should have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. In March of 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law.  It was drafted quickly and behind closed doors. It included secret deals, loopholes, drafting errors, and allowed federal agencies to be created without Congressional knowledge or oversight. The bottom line, it was not the way to achieve meaningful reform. In addition, the Supreme Court ruled just last month that the law is in fact a tax – this is after President Obama continually told the American people that it was not a tax.

“The health care system in America needs reform and improvements, but the law that was passed will cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars, will not improve care, nor will it make care more affordable. We need to start fresh and need to address the issues with common sense improvements that focus on the real issues at hand: creating a health care system that is focused on patients instead of payments, quality instead of quantity, affordability instead of cheapness, and innovation instead of stagnation.

“The first step is eliminating bad legislation that simply does not work. So today I voted to repeal the president’s health care law. It is important that the American people know where their elected representatives stand on this issue and clearly the Senate needs to take up this legislation.”

Dr. Burgess spoke on the House Floor during the debate in support of the legislation. You can view the video by clicking here.

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Comments
The opinions expressed below are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of this office.
  • Dan from Lewisville commented on 7/11/2012
    Thank you Dr. Burgess for your continued fight against this big government monstosity. The only option left is to replace President Obama.
  • Rick from McDaniel commented on 7/13/2012
    Thank you Dr. Burgess...you have my continuing support & vote!
  • Carrie from Denton commented on 7/13/2012
    I am in favor of repealing Obamacare, but I would like to hear more of the realistic alternatives.
  • Keith from City commented on 7/13/2012
    It's actually embarrassing that the house has now done this 33 times. The cry of the tea party right is waste, waste, waste. I can see why, you have effectively wasted the country's rescources and time on 33 separate occasions to say the same thing.....33 times, yet you have accomplished nothing.... 33 times. Your party decries nearly everything but has plans for again.... nothing. Maybe when you come up with a solution you can then get together and have your little votes.
  • Nancy from Plano commented on 7/13/2012
    Keith, do you think that, if you really want and believe in something, you should give up after one try? The Republicans have put forth numerous plans to improve the health care situation but they get almost no coverage in the mainstream media. Maybe you should get some of your news from another source if you want to be more informed.
  • Tim from Flower Mound commented on 7/13/2012
    Rep. Burgess, You have publicly and repeatedly made your position on Obamacare for years. As a constituent, I have listened to your objections both as the law was being passed and afterward. That said, I consider the continued votes against the bill in the House to be nothing more than useless political showboating. Until you have enough votes in the Senate and a President who will sign a repeal, you and your collegues are waisting valuable time that could be spent working with the opposition on compromise bills which would directly and immediately help all Americans. The House's continued voting to repeal PPACA when it has no chance of being repealed is quite simply an wasteful, cynical act of political theater. You and your collegues should be ashamed. As a Moderate Independant, I frankly am sick of political hackery like this. Understand that your side is not going to get all of your way. You need to figure out how to work with the other guys to get SOME of what you want and understand that they will of course get SOME of what they want.
  • Dennis from Flower Mound commented on 7/13/2012
    O'Romney Care is one of the most significant reforms in recent times. Everyone is so quick to dismiss it as "bad" but yet no one seems to recognize the good that has come from it (can keep uninsured kids on policy to 26, insurance companies cannot drop you when you get sick, get rid of lifetime maximums, etc.). And, I'm not sure where the "freedom lost" is coming from. We are required (by the state) to carry auto insurance if we "choose" to operate a motor vehicle "legally." By the same token, it should not be a stretch to require (or tax, or whatever) people who "choose" to live to carry insurance which most, if not all of us, will need at some point in our lives. One simply cannot "get insurance" when they need it - insurance is about spreading risk and sharing costs (oh wait, that sounds like some kind of "ism"). The Grover Norquist party has not put forth anything that is truly a workable solution - simply disagreeing with everything from the opposition party is not governing, just being irresponsible.
  • John Dewey from Flower Mound commented on 7/13/2012
    Thank you, Rep. Burgess, for your efforts and those of your colleagues to keep this issue at the forefront of voters' minds. We desperately need to repeal this law. We cannot rely on the liberal, socialist media to keep the public informed about how the dangerous features in this law or about the deceitful means used to secure its passage.
  • Greg from Denton commented on 7/13/2012
    STOP WASTING TAX PAYER MONEY!!! STOP wasting time on trying repeal the health care law. If you can't stop repeating the same old worn out rhetoric, we will need to replace YOU. The new health care law is far better than what we had before it. You and your party are doing nothing more than trying to turn it into a political issue. You were elected to do what needs to be done to move America forward. First, the rhetoric was that the heath care law was socialized medicine. It is not! It is private insurance companies working with private doctors. If that is socialism, then lets get rid of insurnace and everyone pays cash for medical care. Next, the cry was it is "unconsitutional". The Supreme Court said is was constituioinal. Gee, I guess we shouldn't require everyone to have car insurnance either. Now, the cry is "it's a tax". PLEASE!!!! The only people who would pay a tax are those that refuse to purchase the insurance. Call it what you want, but that sounds like a penalty to me. Do you really think that the old system of taxpayers supporting the county hospital for indigent health care is good???????
  • Dale from Corinth commented on 7/13/2012
    I agree with Tim from Flower Mound. This is "quite simply an wasteful, cynical act of political theater. You and your collegues should be ashamed." You guys should be working together to make changes to the PPACA that WILL work instead of saying you want to start over (which has very little chance of happening). Get this country back to work and figure out what the problems with the PPACA is and fix them. Work together for the greater good for this country and stop this continued nonsense.
  • Marcia from Flower Mound commented on 7/13/2012
    We do not know if the ACA will work because it is not yet in effect. The portions that are in effect are extremely popular - no insurance denial based on preexisting conditions, keeping kids on insurance until age 26, no co-pays on preventive medicine. I like what I am seeing in terms of streamlining health care education and training, and fast-tracking more health care personnel into practice. I realize as a doctor you are trained to TREAT illness and injury (at great expense to the patient) rather than PREVENT them, but prevention is highly effective at saving health care dollars. Romneycare seems to work just fine in MA, so I would suggest that you not waste taxpayer time and money trying to repeal something that hasn't even happened, particularly when you and your party have put forth no viable alternative (except of course, Romneycare, which the ACA is based on).
  • John from Argyle commented on 7/13/2012
    It is very obvious that you have no workable realistic alternative and if you were able to repeal the health care law you would just keep kicking the can down the road. Thank you Dr Burgess for wasting this countries time and money.
  • Adan robles from Denton commented on 7/13/2012
    Thank you Dr. Burgass for wasting this country time and money.People needs health care in this country
  • Srimanikandhan Appunni from Frisco TX commented on 7/13/2012
    The republicans have no alternative to Romneycare.Instead of grandstanding and creating jobs for the American people, you have wasted tax payer dollars.
  • Damon from Denton commented on 7/14/2012
    I strongly disagree with your assertion that the first step should be to repeal the legislation. Instead of simply repealing the law and going back to a health care system that you admit is in need of reform and improvement, why don't you and the rest of Congress pass a bill that fixes the system and, at the same time, repeals the law? That way you can spend your time and energy coming up with a system that you think works well and at the same time get rid of a system you think does not work instead of simply forcing us to accept a broken system. If you, or anyone in Congress, have a comprehensive and specific plan to fix the health care system, please post that information on your website. Since I recently moved to this district, I am extremely interested in what you are doing as my elected representative.
  • Greg from Highland Village commented on 7/14/2012
    Here is a good quote I picked up that probably sums up why many think it ought to be repealed. Love the friendly service of the TSA? Can’t get enough of the efficiency of the DMV? Enthralled with the compassion and unmatched results of the Department of Education? Good, because your healthcare is now in their hands!
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