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Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) sent a letter to President Obama requesting the opportunity to take the President up on his offer to go line-by-line through health care reform legislation making its way through Congress. Posey also wants to discuss bipartisan approaches to bringing down the cost of health insurance in America and expanding access to care for those in need.

“There’s much to discuss on the issue of health care. The President said during his Address to Congress a few weeks ago that his door was always open,” said Congressman Posey. “Having read the entire House bill, H.R. 3200, I have many questions about that legislation that I would like to discuss with him. I would also like to get his feedback on the 35 Republican proposals that were personally given to the President when he addressed the House on September 9th.”

During a July health care town hall meeting in North Carolina, the President expressed his willingness to personally review health care reform legislation with Members of Congress who had questions about it:

The President said he would “be available to answer any questions that members of Congress have …. If they want to come over to the White House and go over line-by-line what's going on, I will be happy to do that.”

The President also stated during his recent Address to Congress that “If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.”

Below is the full text of Congressman Posey’s letter to the President:

October 1, 2009


The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
1600 Penn. Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20502

Dear Mr. President,

I appreciate and share your commitment to addressing deficiencies in our nation’s health care system. While most Americans like their current health care plan and want to keep it, there are too many Americans who have difficulty finding affordable coverage.

I share your stated desire to ensure that Americans who want to keep their current health care plan be allowed to keep that plan. I share your commitment to expanding health care coverage to those Americans who lack coverage and to those with pre-existing conditions. I believe that if we work together, we can find ways to achieve these stated goals in a manner that is fiscally responsible and that does not undermine the quality of care that sees America leading medical advancement around the world. We must be careful as we proceed with health care reform that we first do no harm.

At a July health care town hall meeting in North Carolina, you stated that you would “be available to answer any questions that members of Congress have …. If they want to come over to the White House and go over line-by-line what's going on, I will be happy to do that.” Having completely read through the H.R. 3200, I would like to take you up on your offer. As I reflect on your address to the Congress on September 9th and the details and implications of H.R. 3200, I have concerns that some of the provisions in H.R. 3200 may not line up exactly with the principles you outline in your address to Congress. I want to take you up on your offer to sit down with Members of Congress and go over the bill line-by-line to discuss these questions and the details of the House bill.

I also appreciated your offer to work with Republicans to achieve bipartisan solutions. Immediately following your September 9th address many of my Republican colleagues personally handed you and your staff copies of more than 35 bills that they have introduced to address the health care problems across America. Hopefully, you and your staff have had a chance to review these proposals. I would hope we could discuss these bills and ideas as well to see if there are some bipartisan solutions that can be incorporated into H.R. 3200.

My staff will be in contact with your office to find a time in your schedule to discuss this issue. Health care involves more than 17 percent of our nation’s economy, a sum of money larger than most every other national economy in the world. We should be careful to get this right.

I would also extend once again, an invitation for you, the First Lady, and your daughters to attend a Space Shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral in the near future. A first-hand look at our nation’s leadership in space is an inspiring experience for future generations of Americans.

Sincerely,

/s/
Bill Posey
Member of Congress