Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill H.R. 3962 was drafted without committee hearings or markups behind closed doors by Speaker Pelosi and a very limited number of her inner-circle.  Weighing in at more than 2,000 pages, Pelosi’s bill will cost the American taxpayers $1.2 trillion over the next ten years.

Real reform of our health care system is needed.  We must help those who want health insurance but cannot afford it.  We must expand access to health care in rural America.  We must fix our medical malpractice laws so that doctors can focus on saving patients rather than paying lawyers.  And we must expand our investments in preventative care.  However, that doesn’t mean we should throw out the car because it has a soft tire.  This country still has the best doctors, the best treatments, the best researches, and the best hospitals in the world.  Improvements need to be made, but not at the cost of potentially destroying our current health care system, saddling our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars of debt, decreasing our standard of care, and burdening American families and small businesses with $729.5 billion in new taxes.

I will continue to oppose Speaker Pelosi’s government run health care legislation and any legislation that comes before Congress that includes a public option.

Congressman Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District.  For more information, visit his website at www.house.gov/lucas.

In order to pay for her almost trillion dollar federal government takeover of health care, Speaker Pelosi plans to make dramatic cuts to the Medicare program used by many of our senior citizens.  Cuts to Medicare will cause some health care providers to drop out of the program, limiting seniors’ access to this popular program and causing many to lose their current coverage.  In addition, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has stated that the Pelosi health care plan will increase seniors’ Medicare prescription drug premiums by 20 percent over the next ten years.  That means many of our seniors will no longer be able to afford the prescription drugs they need to survive.

So much for the President Obama’s promise, “If you like your plan, you can keep it.”

Millions of seniors take advantage of the Medicare program in this country today and most are very happy with their coverage.  However, under the Pelosi bill, seniors may be forced out of Medicare or incur higher costs and premiums.  And all of this to pay for a trillion dollar federal government takeover of our health care system that a majority of Americans do not support.  Is this really the way we should be treating our senior citizens? 

Reforms within our health care system are needed, but we should be focused on the areas that need the most attention: decreasing costs and increasing accessibility for rural Americans.  I will continue to fight against any health care legislation that includes the so-called “public option,” which really means higher taxes, a decrease in the standard of care, cuts to Medicare, and bureaucrats in Washington coming between doctors and patients.

Congressman Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

The failure to wisely craft legislation has resulted in the kind of wasteful, untargeted legislation we saw with this year’s stimulus package.  Rather than drafting an effective stimulus that would benefit all Americans quickly and efficiently, the Speaker pushed a $787 billion spending package filled with wasteful pet projects, many of which have yet to be implemented more than eight months after it passed.

For this reason, I have joined all of my fellow Oklahoma colleagues in the House to support H.Res. 554, a bipartisan resolution that would require legislation and conference reports be available on the Internet for 72 hours prior to being considered by the House.  This will allow the American people as well as members of Congress plenty of time to read and review legislation prior to any vote on the matter.  

So far, this resolution has garnered massive bipartisan support.  It has 187 cosponsors and a discharge petition has been introduced.  A discharge petition would, in essence, discharge the bill from committee and allow an up or down vote on the House floor.  A simple majority – 218 signatures – of members is needed for the discharge petition to be successful and so far it has 182 signors.

The American people deserve the opportunity to review legislation and express their opinions on it prior to a vote in Congress and this resolution would guarantee them that opportunity.  I am pleased to join my fellow Oklahomans in support of this resolution and I encourage all members to support this measure.

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. 

It is also our country’s federal budget deficit for 2009.  That means that in the fiscal year 2009, which runs from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009, the federal government spent $1.42 trillion more than it took in.  To put this in perspective, last year’s deficit was $459 billion – still an astounding number, but less than half the deficit for this year.

When our nation runs with a deficit like this year, we increase our national debt – or the total debt we owe over the life of our country.  Our current national debt is $9.1 trillion, and climbing every day.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that, under President Obama’s spending plans, our national debt will rise to $17.1 trillion by the year 2019, meaning an increase of $8 trillion over the next ten years.  Most of this debt is held by foreign countries.  China, not known for their great relations with our country, holds the most – more than $800 billion.

If numbers like this don’t shock you, maybe this thought will: what happens when these investors decide they want to cash in their T-bonds and T-bills?  It’s not that hard to imagine.  Right now, the United States government seems to have no interest in paying off any of our debts, so investors will be much more like to want to cash in their holdings or to purchase less T-bonds and T-bills.  This would result in an even further drop in the dollar’s value and the federal government would be forced to pay higher interest rates to attract more investors.

Higher interest rates leads to an even higher national debt.  For FY2009, the federal government paid $190 billion in interest.  If our total debt rises to $17.1 trillion as the Congressional Budget Office predicts, our interest would quadruple to almost $800 billion by 2019.  In comparison, the budget for the state of Oklahoma for FY2009 was $7.1 billion.  So the federal government’s interest in 2019 would be more than one hundred times the state budget of Oklahoma.

Even worse, higher interest rates on T-bills and T-bonds would increase interest rates across the board, resulting in higher rates on loans to buy a home or to expand a business, which can lead to fewer new jobs and a decrease in our overall economy.  In addition, the continued decrease in the dollar would cause the price of imported goods to rise, increasing costs for consumers, thus increasing inflation.

While I know there are economists who stand by the president’s plan to spend, spend, spend, I think that we must look down the road to see the real long-term effect it will have.  Fiscal responsibility cannot just be a catch phrase used during elections.  It must be a philosophy that we practice.  If not for us, then at least for future generations on whom we are saddling this enormous debt.

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.

However, more than a year later, we have still not progressed on this because of delays imposed by the Obama Administration.  In March, President Obama announced that he would extend the comment period another six months.  That comment period ended on September 21st, but in a move signaling what could be an indefinite delay, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that it could be 2012 before the administration decided whether or not it would allow offshore drilling.

The American people, the United States Congress, and the White House made it very clear last summer they wanted to develop the energy resources off our coasts.  Instead of following the will of the people and this Congress, however, the Obama Administration has used one stall tactic after another to delay drilling as long as possible.  Drilling in the outer-continental shelf will not only decrease the cost American families pay for energy, it will also create jobs, encourage economic growth, bring in much-needed revenues to many coastal states, and will help us break our dangerous reliance on foreign oil. 

According to the American Energy Alliance Report, drilling in the outer-continental shelf would generate $8 trillion in economic output and 1.2 million jobs annually across the country.  At a time when unemployment is near 10% and our dependency on foreign oil continues to cost Americans money, jobs, and national security, we cannot turn our backs on offshore drilling.  Now is the time to begin expanding all our American-made energy options, and that includes drilling on the outer-continental shelf.

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.

But the response to this cannot be a trillion dollar government takeover of our health care system.  This month, Democrats in the House introduced their health care plan, which includes a government-run health care system that would force two-thirds of Americans out of their current, employer-provided plan.  To pay for this, they proposed more than $800 billion in tax increases on small businesses and American families- during one of the most severe economic recessions this country has seen in decades.

Dramatically increasing taxes and federal spending will not solve this problem, however, something must be done.  So what is the answer? 

We must first remember there is no one answer to the problems facing our health care system, but changes need to be made in order to improve our current system.  Currently, many different pieces of legislation on health care have been introduced.  As I weigh these different plans, there are a few key aspects I am looking for.

Solution for the Uninsured.  There are approximately 47 million Americans without health insurance coverage in this country.  When they become ill, they go to an emergency room where treatment and tests are dramatically more expensive, driving up the cost of health care.  We must address this problem.  One option might be to provide funding for private health program for those Americans who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.  This would ensure that all Americans have access to health insurance while keeping the federal government out of the individual’s health care decisions.   

Lower Costs and Maintained Choice.  We need to lower the cost of medical procedures and the cost of health insurance.  The best way to do this is to ensure transparency in the system.  We need to allow patients to view the costs of procedures as well as the costs of insurance policies side-by-side.  This will encourage competition within the market and help to lower prices.  Another option is one proposed by Senator Coburn’s legislation the Patient’s Choice Act.  It provides a refundable tax credit of $2,300 per individual and $5,700 per family.  This is a great way to help Americans cover their health care costs without a complete federal government takeover of the system.

Access for All Americans.  Access to health care is a major issue in rural America.  Right now, there are many Oklahomans who live in rural areas and have problems getting to hospitals or doctors.  Any health care reform plan must ensure that we expand our health care resources to those rural areas that have been ignored by so many for so long.

Preventative Care.  Preventative care is an absolutely necessary part of any health care reform legislation.  Each year, five chronic – but preventable – diseases cause two-thirds of American deaths.  The treatment of these preventable diseases makes up 75 percent of total health care expenditures.  By promoting preventative care, this country would be able to dramatically decrease its overall health care costs and promote a healthier life for all Americans.

Keeping Medical Decisions in the Hands of Doctors and Patients.  We must keep government bureaucrats out of the doctor-patient relationship.  We have already seen the red tape nightmare that can be created when the federal government steps in.  Can you imagine if going to your doctor’s office was like going to the Department of Motor Vehicles?

Continued Leadership in Innovation and Treatment.  Right now, this country has the best doctors, hospitals, and scientists in the world.  Almost 70 percent of Nobel Prize recipients in medicine have come from the United States and five of the six most important medical discoveries in the past 25 years were done made by American scientists.  However, when competition is removed, the market loses its innovative edge.  A health care system must encourage competition among health providers and among doctors and scientist so the United States remains a leader in medical innovation.

No Rationed Health Care.  One of the biggest problems facing countries like England and Canada who have nationalized health care systems is that, due to costs, they are forced to ration health care.  For that reason, we see Canadians coming to the United States to and paying full price for necessary health care treatments they would have to wait months for in Canada. 

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.

As a reminder, the first “economic stimulus” package cost the American taxpayers a whopping $789.5 billion.  And since that money needed to be borrowed, the interest drove the total cost to around one trillion dollars.  One trillion dollars.  I’m not quite sure when that dramatic dollar amount became so common place, but it is still troubling for me to hear.  President Obama and Speaker Pelosi promised the American people this legislation would create between three and four million jobs and pull this country out of economic recession it.

Yet, here we are, four months later and the unemployment rate has increased, not decreased.  In the month of June alone, a staggering 467,000 Americans lost their job, raising this country’s unemployment rate to 9.5 percent.  And now, as the unemployment numbers continue to rise, President Obama and Speaker Pelosi want to solve this country’s continued economic problems with yet another high-priced “economic stimulus” package. 

I’m not sure about everyone else, but I’m still waiting for the economic stimulation and jobs promised by the first package.

The American people are hurting right now.  Many are having to make tough choices and are finding it difficult to provide for their families.  Rather than spending another trillion dollars of their hard earned money on pet spending projects and calling it a stimulus package, Congress needs to get back to the economic basic: fiscal responsibility is the best policy. 

First, we need to put money back in the pockets of the American people by cutting taxes on American families and small businesses.  This will raise the standard of living and encourage economic growth by lowering the cost to do business.  As we have learned from history, increased taxes do nothing but grow the size of government and stifle economic growth.  Second, just as families across this country are doing right now, the federal government must begin to tighten their proverbial belt and cut back on spending.  For the 2009 fiscal year, it is estimated that 46 cents of every dollar spent by the federal government will be borrowed.  That means almost half the money allocated by Congress this year alone was borrowed. 

That isn’t just poor fiscal planning- it’s mortgaging our children’s futures to pay for the present. 

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.

In a country as advanced as the United States, we should be able to provide quality health care coverage that is affordable and accessible to every American while preserving patients’ rights to select their own doctors, their own health care coverage, and their own courses of treatment.  However, a government run health care system, like the one currently being drafted by congressional Democrats, will not provide this. 

The system they are discussing will use a “public option”- one that is similar to the systems used in Canada or France.  And while those systems might do a good job of meeting routine needs for their citizens, like taking their blood pressure or providing vaccines, they ration treatment for more severe problems creating a backlog of patients waiting for treatments.  For that reason, you have Canadians traveling in to the United States to pay out of their pockets for expensive treatments, like MRIs, because they can’t afford to wait to receive them. 

Under the proposed “public option” plan, Speaker Pelosi and President Obama will take our health care system, a system that is the most effective, efficient, and innovative in the world, and turn it inside out.  While there are issues within our system that need to be addressed, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Right now, this country is running a deficit of over $11 trillion, and that number is expected to continue to climb once President Obama’s appropriations packages are passed in Congress.  So, in order to pay for this estimated $1 trillion plan, they will dramatically increase taxes on all Americans, including those who are already struggling to pay for their own health care, as well as struggling to put dinner on the table. 

Simply put, this is not good policy.  We need to refocus our efforts to make changes in our health care system that are efficient and cost-effective, while continuing to ensure that patients come first, that the doctor-patient relationship is not disrupted by bureaucrats in Washington, and that health care treatments are never rationed out by government officials.

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.

Prior to serving as Speaker, Representative Pelosi served as the senior Democrat member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence and would have been a part of all briefings on our intelligence activities while serving on the committee.  However, recently, Speaker Pelosi claimed she was unaware of the enhanced techniques being used to question suspected terrorists and accused our intelligence agencies of lying and withholding information from her and other members of Congress who serve on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. 

“So yes I am saying that…the CIA was misleading the Congress…They mislead us all the time,” Speaker Pelosi stated in a press conference late last month.  “In fact, we were told that waterboarding was not being used.”

As you can see, her accusations are very alarming.  We simply cannot have any intelligence agency or their employees lying to members of Congress.  And if that is the case, those individuals should be terminated at the very least, if not prosecuted for their actions. 

However, if Speaker Pelosi has no proof of her allegations or she misspoke, I sincerely hope that as the senior leader of the House of Representatives and third in line to the presidency, Ms. Pelosi will offer an apology to the members of our intelligence community who have worked so hard the last seven and a half years to ensure that this country does not suffer another attack like the one on September 11th 2001.  At a time when our country continues to be the focus of terrorist attacks, our leadership must unite behind our armed forces and intelligence communities to ensure the safety of every American citizen.

Frank Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  For more Frankly Speakings, please visit Rep. Lucas’ Blog at http://www.house.gov/lucas/frankly-speaking/index.shtml.