Editor's note: Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas received criticism from supporters and foes alike for her vote against health-care legislation pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who supported such negative votes for those in swing districts because she had enough secured votes to secure passage. Kosmas later defended her vote in an op-ed piece in Florida Today.
Originally posted Sat, 2009-11-07 23:39
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Washington, DC -- After carefully reviewing the House health care reform bill, HR 3962, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, issued the following statement:
"This was a difficult decision for me as I have long been a champion for improving health care coverage and services. In Congress, and going back to my time serving in the Florida State House, I have supported numerous health care efforts such as the expansion of health coverage for children of working families, protecting seniors from an increase in Medicare Part B premiums, and working to secure the funding for the new Orlando VA Medical Center to improve care for Central Florida's veterans.
"Improving our health care system is a critical issue for me, but meaningful reform must slow the growth of health care costs that are hurting families, making it harder for businesses to create jobs, overwhelming the federal budget, and creating debt for future generations. While the health care reform bill before the U.S. House of Representatives has many positive elements, I believe that it does not do enough to slow the growth of health care costs and spending on care. Therefore, after careful consideration and with great difficulty, I have decided that I cannot support the legislation.
"I truly believe real health care reform is attainable, but we can improve upon the House bill. We need reform that truly rewards quality outcomes and moves us away from the fee-for-service system that rewards quantity over quality. We need reform that gives real incentives to reward healthy lifestyles that will lead to fewer procedures and less health care spending. We need reform that makes a serious effort to control waste, fraud, and abuse in the system. And we need reform that changes behavior in the way people choose health insurance so they focus on more cost-effective, high-quality products.
"Though I will not be voting in favor of the House bill, it has improved since first being released last summer and it shows promise. The bill begins to hold insurance companies accountable by preventing them from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, eliminating life-time caps on coverage, and taking steps to lower premiums. It also establishes health insurance exchanges that will help provide options that may be more affordable for many individuals and small businesses.
"However, these reforms might be in vain if we don't take significant steps to rein in rising costs, and the House bill simply does not do enough to address this issue. I will continue working with my colleagues to address rising health care costs and I am hopeful that, at the end of the day, the president will be able to sign into law a health care reform bill that truly meets this goal and moves our country forward towards affordable, accessible, and sustainable health care. But the House plan is not that bill, and therefore I cannot support it."