The House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Health began Tuesday what will be week-long hearings on a draft of the Democrats' health care reform plan.

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), a member of the Health subcommittee, said he looks forward to learning more about the draft plan, but believes the hearings are a far-cry from real bipartisan efforts.

"And so it begins, the formal debate on health care reform. I have been waiting my entire career for this moment. I did not give up a 25-year medical practice to come to Congress to sit on the sidelines of what could be the biggest changes to our health care system in the last 45 years," Burgess said. "Yet, here we are, calling 10 panels to help us walk through a legislative proposal released late last week and details have been hard to come by."

The Congressional Budget Office has not yet scored the Democrats' draft plan, leaving key questions unanswered, such as how much the plan will cost and how many Americans will receive health insurance coverage. Additionally, the draft does not include details as to how the plan will be paid for.

"Simply burdening future generations with even more debt, while ignoring the very real problems we face just so we can say we have checked the box on health reform is not the direction I had hoped Congress would undertake. However, the structure of these proceedings tells me otherwise," Burgess said.

Burgess expressed concern over the lack of these important details. He argued that this, coupled with the fact that no Republicans were involved in the draft or bill-writing process, has produced a plan that will actually shortchange the millions of Americans looking for real bipartisan reforms to America's health care system.

"I was hopeful, and I am still hopeful, that we could write a bipartisan bill," Burgess said. "However, since no Republican has been consulted thus far on the totality of this bill, I think it is a disservice to our citizens."

Burgess, a medical doctor in North Texas for 25 years before being elected to Congress in 2002, said he believes the Democrats' plan will actually increase costs and will not improve the quality of health coverage.

"I have long argued we should start with a discussion focusing on quality of care, access, and affordability. As I have long said, coverage does not equal access. What does this bill do for America's patients and doctors?" Burgess asked. "I believe costs will go up, people will be forced out of their current coverage, businesses will be forced to close their doors, and the doctor-patient relationship will be severely eroded."

"Nevertheless, I look forward to hearing from Secretary Sebelius, former Secretary Leavitt, and the other witnesses who will come before us throughout the week. I am, and always have been, committed to finding bipartisan ways to make our country's health care system, already the best in the world, better, and that is what I intend to do," Burgess said.


To view the original article click here.