Republican Response to Weekly Address

" Good morning this is congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois. When I returned home from active duty in Afghanistan I dedicated my congressional service. To helping families with health care. We can lower health care costs and provide coverage for Americans who lack insurance by enacting key reforms that already helped thousands of families in many states first. We could start lowering costs by reining in lawsuits in America. We are the most litigious country on -- lawsuit reforms can save billions in health care costs alone in New Jersey without lawsuit reform it cost over 5500. Dollars per patient to provide insurance in California. With some of the strongest lawsuit reforms insurance costs half as much as it does in New Jersey. Congress should enhance their effective reforms of many states by enacting the lawsuit reforms for our entire country second. Congress should grant the right of each American to buy coverage from any state in the union especially if you find a plan that has a lower cost or is more flexible for your family or your small business third. We should give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs I also offered an amendment. The medical rights -- Standing for the principle that congress should make no law interfering with decisions that you make with your doctor. Unfortunately. All of these common sense Republican reforms were rejected by speaker Pelosi. The Pelosi health care bill has no significant lawsuit reforms and does not guarantee your medical writes from government waiting lines -- restrictions. In the teeth of the great recession the Pelosi bill would impose ten new taxes on the American economy. The top combined tax rate for my state of Illinois it would be four percentage points higher than France the Democrat bill. Levees in new taxes on health insurance income and even pacemakers. The bill also cuts health care for seniors might parents and many of yours. With 500 billion dollars in cuts for Medicare doctors hospitals and advantage patients. The bill even cuts Medicare for skilled nursing wheelchairs and hospices. In some of the Pelosi bill opens in new trillion dollar entitlement just as our national debt tops twelve trillion. Ignoring the future needs of social security and Medicare the bill creating new massive spending program. Supported by heavy taxes and cuts to senior health care. We need to back the common sense health care reforms I outline and reject a government takeover of our family health care. This is congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois thank you for listening god bless you and god bless America."