Rep. Bucshon: Health Care Should Be Patient Centered, Not Government Centered

WASHINGTON, June 30 -- Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Indiana, issued the following statement after the House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425), which is House Democrats' proposal to double down on Obamacare at its failed promises:

"A decade ago, Obamacare became the law of the land and this massive government takeover of our nation's health care system came full of empty promises. President Obama and Congressional Democrats famously promised Americans that if they liked their doctor, they could keep their doctor.

"However, millions of Americans lost access to their doctor as insurers have resorted to narrowing networks. And, instead of seeing premiums decreased by $2,500, as President Obama promised, American families have seen their premiums skyrocket year after year.

"Rather than working to find bipartisan solutions for patients to access affordable, quality care, Democrats are choosing to double down on Obamacare's biggest flaws and give Washington the power to set the price of drugs, which nonpartisan analysis has determined would result in fewer cures. H.R. 1425 inches ever closer to a government-run, socialist single-payer health care system by putting the government at the center, not the patient. If Democrats want to get serious about addressing our nation's health care problems and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, a good place to start would be H.R. 19, bipartisan legislation that will lower out of pocket spending, protect access to new and innovative cures and increase transparency."