Senate Health Bill Will Make You Ill

Meredith Jessup | July 30, 2009 12:20 PM

Many concerned citizens don't have the time to sit and read a 1,000 page health care bill. Maybe it's because most of us are actually working to pay for our health insurance, but I digress.

Fortunately, organizations like the Heritage Foundation help us wade through rhetorical muck being thrown among politicians in Washington and draw our attention to things like Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D-MD) Amendment #201 which will require health insurers to include “essential community providers” in their networks to provide “preventive care services” for women.

Or how about numerous amendments proposed by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), aimed at preventing misuse of federal tax dollars, including #110 which would limit the size of government's expanding bureaucracy (defeated); #205 which would maintain Medicare's established eligibility standards (defeated); #226 which will require all members of Congress and their staffs to enroll in the same health care plan they propose for the general public (passed by just one vote in committee, but in danger of being removed in mark-up).

GOP Senators also proposed multiple amendments--each defeated in straight party-line votes--that would prohibit the use of research statistics to mandate, deny or ration care.

For further health care news, stay tuned to Townhall.com and read ongoing research information at the Heritage Foundation.