Rep. Boustany on Health-Care Costs

" Our next guest spent more than twenty years -- the health care profession and he has some insights into the cause Louisiana Republican Charles who's standing joins us now I'll call your doctor you know by some doctor. You're telling me you have something to add other than -- 2000 pages of the closing bell what the debate."

" Well it's a -- thousand page bill and this thing has grown -- Middle East since August when we hit hr 3200. But you know the real problem is this bill the Pelosi health care bill is going to raise the cost of insurance for everybody. It's -- it's going to be attacks increased on just about everybody. And it's not really going to do anything to control the cost of health care that's the problem and I mean it's a massive government takeover. It's going to add significantly to that to our deficits and our debt. This is a real problem we can do a lot better than this and we need a bipartisan approach to this has put some good ideas on the table back away from this big government takeover."

" Yeah no kidding Social Security Medicare a bipartisan approach let's go through it CBO says middle class income families. 18% more in insurance premiums the public option has higher. Premiums and even days you know the insurance exchange plans doctor can you tell us have a GOP's version is going to keep. Costs down what ever happened to affordable."

" Right well affordability is the key issue and when I responded to President Obama after his address to congress I talked about affordability. So what Republicans are advocating is -- great real competition in real choice in the marketplace let's get a real health insurance marketplace going. By allowing people to buy insurance across state lines where they were small business or family. Why not allow small businesses to pool together to get greater purchasing power just like large businesses and labor unions are able to do. These are things that we think will create a real market in put downward pressure on that on these premiums which are skyrocketing out outside right now. And now we also need to look on look at how can you. Created a system. That creates much more efficiency in the way health care is delivered for patients. By creating these efficiencies you can start to bring that cost down for families -- small businesses. And none of those things are really addressed in the Pelosi health care bill. Those are things that we want to address in our approach is there anything in those 2000 pages of the blows your health care bell about helping to stop junk lawsuits. Does very little. They offer some grants to the states. But then they put restrictions on where those grants will go in other words grants cannot go to states that either cap noneconomic damages. Or -- lawyers' fees so again is it this is just protecting trial lawyers and not really addressing the problem. -- really that is the I'm sorry -- ticket yet I had. And there are and there are other things that we can do to to bring down. The cost of health care and in one of Vista really it address these junk lawsuits that are out here these frivolous lawsuits. Which really drive the cost up because doctors. In -- ordering you know additional testing things to cover themselves. This drives cost."

" you know the insurance exchanges across interstate lines how that help the -- how you stop. The poor being iced out of those kinds of pool at polling that you're thinking of dealing."

" Well I think first of all we need to get costs down then take a step back and see --"

" How much. Have we really expanded coverage with that if we we bring the cost more in line with what people can afford. And then then you can look at tax subsidies to help those who are struggling with that meeting the cost but we believe. That. Implementing health savings accounts for instance is a strong way above making health insurance much more affordable. For families. Because -- couple high deductible policy. With real savings tax free savings were for individuals and it may be a role for some subsidies in that area to expand coverage. But you've got to get the cost down before you start expanding coverage otherwise going to add significantly to the --"

" Congressmen that doctor Charles who's standing great to see a thank you for joining us appreciate it thank you so much -- now."