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Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) shared the following letter with constituents this week highlighting a new web-page /healthcarefactcheck/ regarding the health care legislation currently being considered by Congress:
 
“Dear Friend,

“The Speaker of the House just announced that she has scheduled Congress to be in session over the weekend as she plans to bring health care legislation to the House Floor for a vote as early as Sunday, March 20, 2010.

“While I agree that there are a number of problems in our current health care system and believe we need to make some changes, I am very concerned, not only about the new details coming out of the closed-door meetings on the bill, but about the overall process and lack of transparency that has characterized the Congressional debate on this particular legislation. The American people want transparency and openness from their government, not backroom deals, special carve-outs for favored politicians, and inaccurate budgeting.

“As we approach a possible vote on this legislation, I wanted to remind you of where I stand and why. I am concerned about a number of aspects of this bill. One of the most troubling aspects of the bill is the cost.

“The Senate Budget Committee released an analysis today showing that when you correct for all the creative accounting in this health care bill, you are left with a deficit of $582 billion in the first ten years and $1.6 trillion over the second ten years. This amounts to over $2 trillion in additional deficit spending.

“This creative accounting includes over $50 billion borrowed from Social Security to pay for this bill and another $70 billion is transferred from the long-term care CLASS Act trust fund. These are funds that should remain in a “lock box” so that these trust funds will be available to pay those benefits rather than borrowed to pay for this new health care bill.

“The financial picture darkens further when you factor in the $350 billion cost of fixing the doctor payments in Medicare and nearly $150 billion in funding for new programs created in the bill. This is nearly $500 billion in additional costs that is excluded from the Congressional Budget Office cost estimate as though it will not have to be paid for. So, rather than “saving” $130 billion as proponents of the bill suggest, the reality is that it will drive us over $2 trillion deeper into debt.

“This is just one of the objections that I have, but it is a very serious concern that will have a dramatic impact on our children as they will be stuck paying the bill.

“I have placed on my website /healthcarefactcheck/ some additional information on the health care bill that you might find of interest. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, please let me know. Also available on my website, www.posey.house.gov, is a constituent survey where you can provide direct feedback on a host of issues under consideration in the Congress.”