Rep. Lee Slams Republican Healthcare Bills

Says GOP Measures Offer No Cure for Nation's Healthcare Ills

Congresswoman Barbara Lee criticized two Republican measures considered in the House this week, saying the bills fail to lower health care costs or do anything meaningful to provide access to health insurance to the more than 45 million Americans who are uninsured.

"These bills are nothing more than window dressing, designed to hide the fact that when it comes to our nation's healthcare crisis, Republican policies are more of a poison than a cure," said Lee. "These bills do nothing to reduce healthcare costs or provide significant coverage to the more than 45 million Americans who live in fear of getting sick, because they have no insurance and can't afford to go to the doctor."

H.R.525, which the House considered on Tuesday, is designed to create Association Health plans and allow businesses to purchase health insurance policies at lower rates. According to the Congressional Budget Office, however, millions of small business would actually see their health insurance premiums increase due to cost shifting and cherry picking by AHPs.

Lee also pointed out that the measure would exempt association plans from state benefit requirements that assure coverage of women's health services such as contraceptive equity, cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment, STD screening, clinical trials, and emergency services.

"Not only does this bill fail to provide any significant coverage for the uninsured, it also puts women and girls at risk by pre-empting state laws that guarantee access to basic health services," said Lee. "This bill overrides protections in 21 states that currently ensure access to contraceptives and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, and there is nothing healthy about that."

Lee also criticized H.R. 5, a measure to limit medical malpractice awards, particularly citing provisions that exempt drug makers from liability for products approved by the FDA.

"Not only does this measure limit the rights of legitimate malpractice victims, it fails to address insurance industry abuses and does nothing to lower healthcare costs," said Lee.

Proponents claim malpractice suits increase healthcare costs, despite ample evidence to the contrary. According to the CBO, malpractice costs account for a very small fraction of total health care spending, and even a significant reduction in malpractice costs would have a relatively small effect on total health plan premiums.

Lee is a co-sponsor of three Democratic bills aimed at Expanding health care access for small business employees, Expanding health care access for low-income working parents and Expanding health care access for those aged 55 to 65 that together would reduce the number of uninsured by more than half.

Earlier this year, Lee, who has long been a leading voice in the fight to make access to healthcare universal, reintroduced H.R. 3000, the United States Universal Health Service Act. The measure, which would establish a United States Health Service (USHS) and provide health coverage for all Americans, was first introduced in 1978 by her predecessor, Rep. Ron Dellums, and has been a priority for Lee since her election in 1998.