House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Delivers Weekly Republican Address

GOP Leader: Only Republicans have offered solutions to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on the American people.

Washington, Oct 30 - Delivering the weekly Republican address, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) outlined Republicans plan to make health care more accessible and affordable for American families at a price our nation can afford. The address highlights the differences between Republicans smart, fiscally responsible reforms and Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of health care. More on Republicans common-sense health care solutions is available at http://healthcare.gop.gov. Audio of the address is available here; video of the address will be available here once the embargo is lifted.

I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner. At the beginning of this year, I told President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Republicans would be ready to work with them whenever possible to address the nations biggest challenges. I also said that where there are differences, it was our obligation as a party to explain to the American people how we would do things better. And on the stimulus, the budget, the energy bill, and health care, we have done exactly that.

As a matter of fact, only Republicans have offered solutions to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on the American people.

We first released our health care plan in June, and over the last six months, we have introduced at least eight bills that, taken together, would implement this blueprint. You can go right now to healthcare.gop.gov and get all the details, but for now, I just want to share with you four ideas Republicans have proposed:

· Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines;

· Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do today;

· Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs; and

· Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it's good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.

These are four smart, fiscally-responsible reforms that we can implement today to lower costs and expand access at a price our nation can afford. Again, you can learn more about these and all the health care initiatives Republicans have supported by visiting healthcare.gop.gov.

The best way to get a sense of what Speaker Pelosis takeover of health care looks like is to actually look at it. Just shy of 2,000 pages, it runs more than 620 pages longer than the government-run plan Hillary Clinton proposed in 1993.

This 1,990 pages of bureaucracy will centralize health care decision making in Washington, DC. Itll require thousands of new federal employees. Itll put unelected boards, bureaus, and commissions in charge of who gets access to what drug and what potentially life-saving treatment.

And it wont come cheap. Speaker Pelosis health care bill will raise the cost of Americans health insurance premiums; it will kill jobs with tax hikes and new mandates; and it will cut seniors Medicare benefits.

We now have a choice: we can come together to implement smart, fiscally responsible reforms to improve Americans health care or we can recklessly pursue this government takeover that creates far more problems than it solves.

Its clear where the American people stand on this issue. Theyre frustrated and fed up. The stimulus bill isnt working. Unemployment is rising. The debt to be paid by our kids and grandkids is exploding. And now, Speaker Pelosis 1,990-page government takeover of health care.

Enough is enough. Breaking the bank and taking away the freedoms Americans cherish is not the answer to the challenges we face.

This coming week, Republicans will continue to stand on principle, defend freedom, and fight for our better solutions to make health care more affordable and accessible for American families.

Thanks for listening.