The Republican Party is historically unpopular after shutting down the government in a futile attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act. In fact, with a favorability rating of just 24 percent, Republicans are far less popular than the health care law, which a majority of Americans support or would like to make stronger. Yet the backlash against them has not convinced Republicans to give up their desperate crusade to take away people’s health care.
On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a hearing on the glitches in the Affordable Care Act’s recently launched insurance marketplaces. A memo from the committee’s Republican majority contends that the “significant and ongoing problems with the launch of the Exchanges further exacerbates the challenges facing American families.” However, a look back at President Bush’s Medicare Part D expansion shows Republicans – including members of the very same committee holding today’s hearing – defending the need to give new health care programs enough time to succeed. For example, as current chairman of the Ways and Means health subcommittee Kevin Brady (R-TX) said, “I think it needs to be understood that in a major reform, an improvement of a program like this, there are bound to be glitches.”
While the past conduct of these Republican committee members makes it abundantly clear that the hearing has nothing to do with improving people’s access to health care, the overall record of Republicans in Congress provides even more evidence that they are not genuinely concerned with the difficulties of obtaining health insurance. House Republicans have voted nearly 50 times to repeal or defund the Affordable Care Act without offering any realistic replacement. Furthermore, Republicans have repeatedly approved radical budget proposals that would privatize Medicare and gut health care programs for children and the poor.
President Obama has declared that the glitches are unacceptable and must be fixed. But the record clearly demonstrates that Republicans are more interested in partisan grandstanding than being part of the solution.
Timeline: Republicans Shut Down The Government To Stop Obamacare…
July 22: “Growing Support Among Republicans…To Shut Down The Government To Block Funding For Obamacare” According to Politico, “There is growing support among Republicans for a plan to shut down the government to block funding for Obamacare, Sen. Mike Lee said Monday. ‘Right now, this is the last stop before Obamacare fully kicks in on Jan. 1 of next year, for us to refuse to fund it,’ Lee said on Fox News ‘Fox and Friends.’ Lee said he has 13 or 14 senators with him on the issue and added that there is a parallel effort in the House. ‘Congress, of course, has to pass a law to continue funding government,’ he said. ‘Lately, we’ve been doing that through a funding mechanism called a continuing resolution. If Republicans in both houses simply refuse to vote for any continuing resolution that contains further funding for further enforcement of Obamacare, we can stop it, we can stop the individual mandate from going into effect.’” [Politico, 7/22/13]
August 21: “More Than A Third Of House Republicans Urged Their Leader…To Trigger A Government Shutdown Rather Than Fund” Obamacare. According to the Associated Press, “More than a third of House Republicans urged their leader Thursday to trigger a government shutdown rather than fund the implementation of the health care overhaul they call ‘Obamacare.’ A letter from 80 Republicans asked Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to resist any spending bills that would accommodate the new health care law, which is nearing a critical stage of signing up millions of Americans for health coverage. Because it’s virtually certain that President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate would reject such demands, leaders of both parties say the standoff likely would result in a partial shutdown of the federal government, similar to those that occurred in 1995 and 1996. […] The House letter was authored by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. It urges Boehner ‘to affirmatively de-fund the implementation and enforcement of Obamacare in any relevant appropriations bill,’ including ‘any continuing appropriations bill.’” [Associated Press, 8/23/13; Meadows Letter , 8/21/13]
August 22: “Republicans See The Coming Weeks As Their Last Chance To Try To Stop Or Weaken The Law.” According to Reuters, “As Congress and Obama spar over spending and the debt limit this fall, Obama will also be focused on the rollout of key provisions of the health care law that kick in at the beginning of 2014. Republicans see the coming weeks as their last chance to try to stop or weaken the law.” [Reuters, 8/22/13]
August 22: Speaker Boehner Wanted To Pass Short-Term Spending Bill At Current Levels, But Conservatives Wanted To Include A Provision Defunding ObamaCare. According to the Wall Street Journal, “On a conference call Thursday evening with GOP lawmakers, Mr. Boehner said it was his ‘intent to move quickly’ when lawmakers return to Washington in September to pass a short-term spending bill at current levels that keeps the government running for 60 to 75 days, which would last until early or mid-November, according to several lawmakers who were on the call. […] Mr. Boehner met objections from several conservatives who want the spending bill to include a measure blocking funding for President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law—a conservative demand that many lawmakers have heard at town hall meetings this summer.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/22/13]
September 4: Battle Against Obamacare Emerging As “Central Fault Line In The Party’s Simmering Civil War.” According to NBC News, “Opposition to Obamacare has united the GOP for the past four years, but now it’s threatening to become a central fault line in the party’s simmering civil war. While still unified on philosophical grounds against President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform law, Republicans are no longer using ‘Obamacare’ to pummel Democrats so much as each other. The divide exists between Republicans engaged in a crusade to repeal the law at all costs and those resigned to accept a government program three years into its implementation. […] But a number of Tea Party affiliated conservatives insist the law can be vanquished, even if it means shutting down the government. In Congress, GOP leaders and a growing coterie of rank-and-file members have distanced themselves from a proposal that would threaten to shut down the government this fall unless Obamacare is defunded.” [NBC News, 9/4/13]
September 11: House Leaders Delayed Vote On “Stopgap Spending Bill To Avert A Shutdown…Because Of Continued Republican Divisions.” According to Politico, “A stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown at the end of this month was pulled from the House schedule Wednesday because of continued Republican divisions over how far to go to challenge President Barack Obama on healthcare reform. A notice sent out by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) advised members that there will no vote Thursday as had been expected. Leadership aides insisted that they still hope to act next week. But the GOP is clearly struggling with itself over how best to keep the government operating and placate conservatives who want to cut off all funding for implementing Obama’s signature reforms.” [Politico, 9/11/13]
September 20: “House Republicans Rallied Behind Their Right Wing” And Passed Bill To “Strip Funding From The Affordable Care Act.” According to the Washington Post, “House Republicans rallied behind their right wing Friday to launch a full-scale assault on President Obama’s health-care initiative, setting up a protracted confrontation with Democrats that risks shutting down the government in just 10 days. On a vote of 230 to 189, the House approved and sent to the Senate a plan to fund federal agencies past Sept. 30, but also to strip funding from the Affordable Care Act, the president’s most significant legislative achievement. ‘We had a victory today for the American people, and frankly, we also had a victory for common sense,” Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said, surrounded by more than 200 cheering lawmakers at a news conference at the Capitol.” [Washington Post, 9/20/13]
September 24: Sen. Ted Cruz Delivered “All-Night Talk-A-Thon On The Need To Defund Obamacare.” According to ABC News, “Sen. Ted Cruz’s all-night talk-a-thon on the need to defund Obamacare finally ended today, clocking in at 21 hours and 19 minutes. ‘This was all about elevating the debate in the public and giving the American people the chance to speak,’ Cruz told ABC News after his marathon speech. ‘At this point, the debate is in the hands of the American people.’ […] After the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution, which strips Obamacare of its funding last week, Cruz vowed to use every procedural measure possible, including a filibuster, to keep the Senate from restoring the funding. But Cruz’s overnight speech was technically not a filibuster and won’t do much to delay or prevent the votes.” [ABC News, 9/25/13]
September 27: Senate Passed Bill To Prevent Shutdown, Preserve Obamacare Funding. According to the Associated Press, “The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Friday that would continue to fund the government past the end of the curent fiscal year, but would not strip funding for Obamacare. That sets up a showdown with Republicans in the House of Representatives, who passed a government funding bill that would have also defunded the president’s signature initiative, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives have been trying to use the must-pass bill as a way to kill or weaken 2010 Obama’s health care law.” [Associated Press, 9/27/13]
September 29: “House Republicans Forced Through A Short-Term Government Funding Bill That Delays Obamacare And Permanently Repeals A Tax On Medical Devices.” According to Politico, “House Republicans forced through a short-term government funding bill that delays Obamacare and permanently repeals a tax on medical devices, setting up their most dramatic face-off ever with President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats. […]The move represents a complete about-face by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the House Republican leadership. They wanted to shift the focus of health care and budgetary squabbles onto the debt ceiling fight, but conservative Republicans honed in on the government funding battle. This strategy — forced upon Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) by the conservative rank-and-file — dramatically increased the chances of a government shutdown come Oct. 1.” [Politico, 9/28/13]
September 30: House Republicans Passed Government Funding Bill That Delayed Individual Mandate By One Year. According to the Washington Post, “Hours before a midnight deadline, the Republican House passed its third proposal in two weeks to fund the government for a matter of weeks. Like the previous plans, the new one sought to undermine the Affordable Care Act, this time by delaying enforcement of the “individual mandate,” a cornerstone of the law that requires all Americans to obtain health insurance. The new measure also sought to strip lawmakers and their aides of long-standing government health benefits.” [Washington Post, 9/30/13]
October 1: Government Forced To Shut Down For First Time In 17 Years. According to Bloomberg, “The U.S. government began its first partial shutdown in 17 years, idling as many as 800,000 federal employees, closing national parks and halting some services after Congress failed to break a partisan deadlock by a midnight deadline.” [Bloomberg, 10/1/13]
…And Were Overwhelmingly Rejected By The American People
August 28: “Voters Do Not Approve Of Cutting Off Funding To Implement President Obama’s Health Care Plan.” According to The Hill, “Voters do not approve of cutting off funding to implement President Obama’s healthcare plan, according to the latest tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation. In Kaiser’s latest survey, 57 percent of respondents said they disapprove of defunding the law, compared with 36 percent who approve of the strategy. A group of conservative Republicans is pressing its party leaders to shut down the federal government unless and until Obama agrees to stop implementing his signature legislative achievement.” [The Hill, 8/28/13]
- Majority Of Poll Respondents: “Without Funding The Law Will Be Crippled And Won’t Work As Planned.” According to The Hill, “Critics of the defunding strategy don’t necessarily believe that Congress should quit debating the healthcare law, the poll found. Among those who said they oppose the defunding strategy, just 35 percent agreed with the statement, ‘we’ve heard enough about the health care law and it’s time to move on to something else.’ Sixty-nine percent said the appropriate way to stop a law is to repeal it and that defunding is ‘not the way our government should work,’ and 56 percent said they oppose defunding the law because ‘without funding the law will be crippled and won’t work as planned.’” [The Hill, 8/28/13]
October 1: “American Voters Oppose 72 – 22 Percent Congress Shutting Down The Federal Government To Block Implementation Of The Affordable Care Act.” According to Quinnipiac, “American voters opposed 72 – 22 percent Congress shutting down the government to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Voters also oppose 64 – 27 blocking an increase in the nation’s debt ceiling as a way to stop Obamacare, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. American voters are divided on Obamacare, with 45 percent in favor and 47 opposed, but they are opposed 58 – 34 percent to Congress cutting off funding for the health care law to stop its implementation. Republicans support the federal government shutdown by a narrow 49 – 44 percent margin, but opposition is 90 – 6 percent among Democrats and 74 – 19 percent among independent voters.” [Quinnipiac.edu, 10/1/13]
October 7: GOP Disapproval “Shot Up To 70 Percent” From 63 Percent In First Week Of Shutdown. According to the Washington Post, “Disapproval of congressional Republicans’ budget wrangling after a weeklong shutdown has shot up to 70 percent, with 51 percent disapproving “strongly,” according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. At the same time, President Obama’s approval rating has ticked up due to improved marks among moderate Democrats and independents. […] A Post-ABC poll last week found 63 percent disapproving of Republicans, a number that has grown to 70 percent in the past week. Strong disapproval has grown from 42 to 51 percent over the same period.” [Washington Post, 10/7/13]
October 10: “The Republican Party Has Been Badly Damaged” By The Shutdown, With Poll Finding GOP Favorability At All-Time Low. According to NBC News, “The Republican Party has been badly damaged in the ongoing government shutdown and debt limit standoff, with a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finding that a majority of Americans blame the GOP for the shutdown, and with the party’s popularity declining to its lowest level. By a 22-point margin (53 percent to 31 percent), the public blames the Republican Party more for the shutdown than President Barack Obama – a wider margin of blame for the GOP than the party received during the poll during the last shutdown in 1995-96. Just 24 percent of respondents have a favorable opinion about the GOP, and only 21 percent have a favorable view of the Tea Party, which are both at all-time lows in the history of poll.” [NBC News, 10/10/13]
October 14: “74 Percent Of American Disapprove Of The Way Republicans In Congress Are Handling Washington’s Budget Crisis.” According to ABC News, “A new high of 74 percent of Americans disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling Washington’s budget crisis, up significantly in the past two weeks and far exceeding disapproval of both President Obama and congressional Democrats on the issue. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that criticism of the GOP’s handling of the budget dispute has grown by 11 percentage points since just before the partial government shutdown began, from 63 to 70 and now 74 percent – clearly leaving the party with the lion’s share of blame. Indeed 54 percent now ‘strongly’ disapprove.” [ABC News, 10/14/13]
- Majority Of Conservatives Also Disapproved Of GOP’s Handling Of The Shutdown. According to ABC News, “In terms of ideology, 59 percent of conservatives disapprove of how the Republicans in Congress are handling the issue, despite their generally closer alignment with GOP policies. Obama’s disapproval among liberals is far lower – 32 percent. And moderates roughly divide on Obama’s approach (49 percent disapprove), while broadly criticizing the Republicans, with 80 percent disapproval.” [ABC News, 10/14/13]
October 21: After Shutdown, Majority Says GOP Control Of House Is Bad For America. According to CNN, “Just more than half the public says that it’s bad for the country that the GOP controls the House of Representatives, according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown. And the CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that more than six in 10 Americans say that Speaker of the House John Boehner should be replaced.The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, just after the end of the 16-day partial federal government shutdown that was caused in part by a push by House conservatives to try and dismantle the health care law, which is President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. According to the survey, 54% say it’s a bad thing that the GOP controls the House, up 11 points from last December, soon after the 2012 elections when the Republicans kept control of the chamber. Only 38% say it’s a good thing the GOP controls the House, a 13-point dive from the end of last year. This is the first time since the Republicans won back control of the House in the 2010 elections that a majority say their control of the chamber is bad for the country.” [CNN.com, 10/21/13]
Majority Of Americans “Either Support Obamacare, Or Say It’s Not Liberal Enough.” According to CNN, “Even though they lost this round, conservatives vow to continue their fight to dismantle Obamacare. And they point to major troubles with the rollout of the website where Americans without insurance can enroll in the new health care exchanges. The president is expected to address the law, and the glitches, at an event Monday at the White House. According to the poll, just more than four in 10 say they favor the law, with 56% opposed to it. But of those opposed, 38% say they are against the law because they think it’s too liberal and 12% say it’s not liberal enough. That means that 53% either support Obamacare, or say it’s not liberal enough. The health care numbers are little changed from late last month, just before the start of the shutdown.” [CNN.com, 10/21/13]
Despite Early Problems, GOP Lawmakers – Including Some Of The Very Same Committee Members Holding Today’s Hearing – Defended Medicare Part D
November 2005: “The Rollout Of The New Medicare Drug Benefit Has Been Anything But Smooth.” According to the Washington Post, “The rollout of the new Medicare drug benefit has been anything but smooth. At a news briefing yesterday, Mark B. McClellan, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, provided a how-to demonstration of the much-awaited Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, which he said would be available on http://www.medicare.gov by 3 p.m. It wasn’t. The online interactive tool has been pitched as a high-tech way to help the 43 million Medicare beneficiaries sort through all the drug coverage choices. After seniors key in their name, birth date, the names of drugs they take and other information, the Web site spits out a personalized list of drug plans in their area ranked by annual cost. Advocates for seniors say they expect the tool to be an indispensable aid in signing people up for this significant new government-sponsored benefit. Problem is, the Medicare folks have had some trouble getting the tool up and running. The original debut date was Oct. 13, but officials delayed it, citing the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. Next it was promised on Oct. 17, but that day, too, came and went without personalized plan comparisons being available.” [Washington Post, 11/8/05]
January 2006: “Rising Discontent With…New Prescription Drug Benefit.” According to the Washington Post, “President Bush’s top health advisers will fan out across the country this week to quell rising discontent with a new Medicare prescription drug benefit that has tens of thousands of elderly and disabled Americans, their pharmacists, and governors struggling to resolve myriad start-up problems.” [Washington Post, 1/18/06]
- “State Officials And Health Care Experts Continued To Report Widespread Difficulties, Especially For The Poorest And Sickest Seniors.” According to the Washington Post, “Even as federal leaders touted the enrollment figures, state officials and health care experts continued to report widespread difficulties, especially for the poorest and sickest seniors who were forced to switch from state Medicaid programs to the new Medicare plans on Jan. 1. Nearly two dozen states have intervened, saying they will pay for medications for any low-income senior who is mistakenly rejected. The District, Maryland and Virginia have not intervened.” [Washington Post, 1/18/06]
Bush HHS Secretary: “Since This Is A New Program, Some People May Experience A Problem.” According to the Washington Post, “[Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike] Leavitt conceded that HHS caseworkers have responded to tens of thousands of complaints by seniors, pharmacists and others who could not get the correct medications at the correct price. But he promised to ‘fix every problem as quickly as possible.’ To do that, HHS has hired thousands of customer service representatives and set up special phone lines for pharmacists. It also has notified insurers that if a drug is not going to be covered, the plans must provide a 30-day ‘transitional’ supply until the patient’s physician can recommend a comparable medicine that is covered. ‘Since this is a new program, some people may experience a problem the first time they go to get their medicines, but we’re confident that after you use it once, things are going to go more smoothly,’ he said. ‘If you are one of those seniors experiencing problems, our message is don’t leave the pharmacy without your drugs.’” [Washington Post, 1/18/06]
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Brady was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means in the 109th Congress and now the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health
Rep. Kevin Brady: “I Think It Needs To Be Understood That In A Major Reform, An Improvement Of A Program Like This, There Are Bound To Be Glitches.” In a hearing held by the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Kevin Brady stated, “Mr. Secretary, thanks for being here today. Partisan comments aside, you know, I think the criticism of the rollout for Medicare in whole are fair criticisms, but I think it needs to be understood that in a major reform, an improvement of a program like this, there are bound to be glitches. We are dealing with a lot of seniors who can be hard to reach. The ones who we are most determined to reach to provide them help, sometimes are the toughest to get to. Lots of glitches in the system. We know this will be a difficult year, but in the end — I know in Texas one-third of our seniors, who are the poorest, are going to get the most help. My neighbors who are on the plans and it’s starting to work are seeing a reduction in their drug prices.” [Committee on Ways and Means Hearing, 2/8/06]
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
Price is currently a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
Rep. Price: At Beginning Of Part D Rollout, “Most American People Heard Only About What Was Wrong With The Program. Now, After 3 Months In The New Program, Have You Heard The Good News?” In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Tom Price said, “Mr. Speaker, when enrollment began for the new Medicare prescription drug plan last November, most American people heard only about what was wrong with the program. Now, after 3 months in the new program, have you heard the good news? Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that more than 27 million individuals are now receiving prescription benefits under the plan, when before they received none, 1.9 million new folks just in the last month alone. As more seniors sign up, they are seeing the benefits of the new program. A recent report of the New York Times included comments from individuals who have signed up and seen their prescription drug costs drop dramatically. One woman saw her monthly costs drop from $476 to $100 a month. A February HHS report announced that the average premium had fallen from an estimate of $37 per month to $25 per month in actual cost. As this plan moves forward, Congress must make sure that flexibility exists to respond to patient needs. We should also share the good news because it is the right thing to do.” [Price Floor Speech, 3/28/06]
Price: “Kinks” In Part D Got “Worked Out.” In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Tom Price said, “To help facilitate the enrollment process in my district, I have held Medicare seminars to educate seniors on the options available, including two just last Friday. Many have said they are happy with the choices they have, and they are grateful for the time we took to sit down and explain this new program. Yesterday I also had the chance to visit two pharmacies in my district and speak with the pharmacists and their staffs. This offered a great, behind-the-scenes look at the process these pharmacists have used to help local seniors understand and utilize this new prescription drug plan. The general sense is that the kinks have been worked out and most seniors are truly gaining great benefit, better health.” [Price Floor Speech, 5/9/06]
Price: “All Kinds Of Programs That Start Anew Oftentimes Have Many Things That Are Confusing In Them.” In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Tom Price said, “Some might argue that much of this will be confusing, and it may be at the beginning. All kinds of programs that start anew oftentimes have many things that are confusing in them.” [Price Floor Speech, 11/15/05]
Ahead Of Medicare Part D Rollout, Rep. Price Warned The “Program Holds Great Promise But Also Has Potential Difficulties.” In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Tom Price said, “Beginning this January, for the first time, prescription drugs will be covered under Medicare, and over 40 million senior Americans will have the opportunity to receive their needed medications through a new program designed to assist them with payment. This is an exciting and hopeful time for these citizens. […] This new program holds great promise but also has potential difficulties. I urge my colleagues to assist in educating all seniors about the upcoming Medicare reforms. Their familiarity and knowledge about these changes are imperative if we are to have a successful program, one that follows the medical model of first doing no harm.” [Price Floor Speech, 10/6/05]
Former Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT)
Johnson was the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health in the 109th Congress.
Rep. Nancy Johnson: “This Is A Major Change In The Medicare Program And It Is Not Surprising That There Have Been Implementation Pitfalls Along The Way.” According to remarks from then-chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Nancy Johnson, as submitted to the Congressional Record, “But this is a major change in the Medicare program and it is not surprising that there have been implementation pitfalls along the way as we heard from GAO and other witnesses at our subcommittee hearing. Because CMS has aggressively taken ownership of these implementation problems, most of the problems were addressed within the first two months of the year. For some, the solutions have been agreed to and implementation is now proceeding as states submit their bills. Once the program is free to focus on the delivery of benefits to our seniors, we will, I’m sure, identify refinements that need to be made with either CMS’ contracting standards or the law. But at this point, the enrollment numbers and survey after survey attest to the tremendous value of the Medicare drug benefit. The real story is that seniors across the country are saving money!” [Johnson Remarks, 5/10/06]
- “It’s Misleading To Focus On Only The Refinements, However,” When Seniors Are Saving Money. In a Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health hearing on “Implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit,” Rep. Nancy Johnson stated, “As the program matures, it will need continued refinement, but enrollment numbers and survey after survey show undeniable momentum. The real story is how seniors across the country are signing up and saving money. It’s misleading to focus on only the refinements, however, when seniors like Gail Blazewski from Cheshire, Connecticut is saving $2,000 a year. That’s the real story that the Medicare prescription drug benefit is telling across the country.” [Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means Hearing, 5/3/06]
Johnson: Scaring Away Beneficiaries By Talking About Complexity Of Enrollment Is “Shameful Behavior For Elected Officials.” According to floor remarks from then-chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Nancy Johnson, “I do find it really quite remarkable that my colleagues from the other side of the aisle, who spent literally months scaring seniors away from signing up for this benefit, claiming it was too complex, claiming it was this and that. I can’t tell you how many seniors I had call my office saying oh, I cannot do this, it is too hard. Then when we show them they say, oh, it is not so hard. Fifty-four percent of the people who signed up signed up themselves. The tools provided made it not so hard. Yet colleague after colleague, and I read it in the paper and I saw it, spent their entire time and effort scaring seniors, shameful behavior for elected officials. Of course, now we come to the end and they want to extend the deadline. They should have been out there the last few weeks saying sign up, sign up. Let me tell you, I can’t tell you how many we helped. I would just like to remind you that your own bill had an earlier deadline than the bill we are dealing with. So let us pull together, get everybody to sign up. Then let us let the plans deliver the goods. You who said this was complicated ought to be the first one who wants these plans to have some time to deliver the services to the seniors who signed up, the 90 percent, the seniors who signed up, so we can make sure that the plans will run according to Hoyle, according to their promises, that they will deliver, and that we can know whether there is any fine-tuning that needs to be done before the next round of sign-ups.” [Johnson Floor Remarks, 5/10/06]
Johnson: Those Urging Signup Deadline Delay Often “The Same Members Who Use Scare Tactics To Discourage Beneficiaries From Signing Up Early.” According to remarks from then-chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Nancy Johnson, as submitted to the Congressional Record, “Some are urging delay of the deadline for signing up. Unfortunately, too often these are the same Members who use scare tactics to discourage beneficiaries from signing up early. All programs have deadlines. Shame on them! We must enforce the deadline so the plans can deliver! We need to let the system work so any needed refinements needed be addressed promptly.” [Johnson Remarks, 5/10/06]
Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX)
Johnson was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means in the 109th Congress and is still a member of the committee.
Rep. Sam Johnson To CMS Official: “You Guys Have Done A Super Job.” In a Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health hearing on “Implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit,” Rep. Sam Johnson said to CMS administrator Mark McClellan, “Listen, I think you guys have done a super job and I do not know if you have answered the question yet, but the effect of eliminating the May 15 deadline; have you talked about that already?” [Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means Hearing, 5/3/06]
Rep. Sam Johnson: Extending Part D Enrollment Deadline Is Like Extending Christmas To January 1 To Be Able To Meet Shopping Deadline. In a Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health hearing on “Implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit,” Rep. Sam Johnson said, “Okay; thank you, and I would just like to make one other comment as concerns the extension of time. You know, yesterday, one of the guys said maybe we ought to extend Christmas to January 1 so we could finish our shopping before the deadline, and that is exactly what we have in this situation.” [Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means Hearing, 5/3/06]
Former Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA)
Herger was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means in the 109th Congress.
Rep. Wally Herger To CMS Official: “We Certainly Have A Ways Yet To Go, But Considering The Challenge, I Want To Commend You.” In a Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health hearing on “Implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit,” Rep. Wally Herger said to CMS administrator Mark McClellan, “Dr. McClellan, I want to thank you for the job you’ve done. Looking at the magnitude of what we did to roll out this entirely new program, and just talking with — I had a visit in one of my town hall meetings here just a few weeks ago with a pharmacist in one of my small communities of Weaverville, California, and to hear him say how good the program was working, how happy those who had signed up were when they were coming in — as a matter of fact, he said because the costs were lower, they were actually purchasing more drugs. […]So again, I think you’re doing a great job. We certainly have a ways yet to go, but considering the challenge, I want to commend you.” [Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means Hearing, 5/3/06]
Bush CMS Administrator Mark McClellan
Mark McClellan was Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2004-2006.
McClellan: “Establishing A Standard Of Absolute Perfection For This Transition, When Dealing With Over 6 Million Dual Eligible Individuals, Is Clearly Untenable. In a letter to the Government Accountability Office, Mark McClellan wrote, “CMS has been working diligently on the transition from Medicaid to Medicare drug coverage for full-benefit dual eligible beneficiaries, and as a result, these individuals will get effective, comprehensive prescription drug coverage when the new Medicare prescription drug benefit begins on January 1, 2006. Establishing a standard of absolute perfection for this transition, when dealing with over 6 million dual eligible individuals, is clearly untenable- and certainly State Medicaid programs do not meet such a standard with access to drugs today.” [GAO.gov, 12/5/05]
McClellan: “Every Time People Sign Up For New Benefits It’s Confusing And There Are Going To Be Problems… But We’re Helping People Work Through Them.” According to the Raleigh News & Observer, “McClellan, one of a handful of federal officials who have been touring the country since early fall to promote Medicare Part D, acknowledged that there have been bumps in the first days of the benefit. But, he said, that is to be expected with a new insurance program. ‘Every time people sign up for new benefits it’s confusing and there are going to be problems,’ McClellan said in an interview after his talk to an audience of about 50 people at Northwood Temple Academy. ‘But we’re helping people work through them and we’re going to keep helping them.’ McClellan said the nation’s pharmacists have been ‘terrific’ in walking patients through the new benefit.” [News & Observer, 1/10/06]
McClellan: “A Change This Big In This Short A Period Of Time Is Bound To Have Some Problems.” In a hearing held by the Senate Special Committee on Aging Mark McClellan stated, “A change this big in this short a period of time is bound to have some problems and I am very concerned about anyone who has experienced problems in getting their medicines at the pharmacy counter the first time they try to use their coverage. In particular, some problems with data translation between Medicare and the drug plans and states may potentially have affected — potentially a few hundred thousand of the six million people with Medicare and Medicaid, particularly those who switched plans late in December. At the same time some pharmacies have had difficulty in using the support systems intended for those beneficiaries.” [Hearing of the Senate Special Committee On Aging, 2/2/06]
- McClellan: “We Make No Excuses For These Problems. They Are Important, They Are Ours To Solve, And We Are Finding And Fixing Them.” In a hearing held by the Senate Special Committee on Aging Mark McClellan stated, “We make no excuses for these problems. They are important, they are ours to solve, and we are finding and fixing them. We’ve outlined some urgent actions that we’re taking in a one month report that was just released by the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes actions with our information systems, the health plans, pharmacists and states, all to help all of our beneficiaries use their coverage smoothly. On our systems we built and tested each component and we are working with the health plans and the states to continue improving them. Prior to January 1st to ensure that all duals that we knew about were appropriately covered, we exchanged data files with the states to compare our respective lists.” [Hearing of the Senate Special Committee On Aging, 2/2/06]
McClellan: “While Considerable Progress Has Been Made, Change Of This Magnitude In Such A Short Time Span Is Bound To Encounter Some Difficulties.” In his opening statement at a hearing held by the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Mark McClellan stated, “While considerable progress has been made, change of this magnitude in such a short time span is bound to encounter some difficulties. CMS is very concerned about anyone who has experienced problems in obtaining their medicines. We make no excuses for the problems. They are important, they are ours to solve, and we are finding and fixing them.” [Hearing of the House Committee On Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, 3/1/06]
GOP Has Made Defeating Health Care Reform Their Mission
GOP Campaigned On Repealing Health Care Reform In 2010. According to CNN, “During the runup to the midterm elections, Republicans campaigned heavily on repealing and replacing the law. They cited the ‘will of the people’ — noting that voters, especially members of the Tea Party movement, overwhelmingly rejected the Democrats’ policies. After their historic gains in the midterms, Republicans now control the House and hold a large number of seats in the Senate, and they are living up to that promise. The GOP has been saying that the law as currently written will hamper prospects for long-term economic growth while doing little to slow spiraling medical costs.” [CNN, 1/19/11]
Before Shutting Down The Government, House GOP Voted 46 Times To Repeal Or Defund The Affordable Care Act. According to Talking Points Memo, “House Republicans are racking up the Obamacare repeal votes in the government shutdown fight. The GOP-led House has now voted 46 times to repeal, defund or dismantle President Barack Obma’s [sic] signature achievement. Prior to the government funding battle, the tally stood at 41, the latest one on Sept. 12. The 42nd vote vote [sic] was to defund Obamacare in a continuing resolution. When the Senate killed that, House Republicans held two votes on amendments to delay the law for one year and to repeal its medical device tax. Up to 44. Then after the Senate killed that, too, the House GOP held a vote to delay the law’s individual mandate and prohibit health insurance subsidies for members of Congress and staff. 45 votes. After yet another Senate rejection, and in the first hour of a government shutdown, the House voted to request conference negotiations while re-affirming their previous Obamacare repeal vote. 46 votes.” [Talking Points Memo, 10/1/13]
Between January 2011 And May 2013, House Republicans Spent 15 Percent Of Their Floor Time Trying To Repeal Health Care Reform. According to the New York Times, “The repeal vote, which is likely to occur Thursday, will be at least the 43rd day since Republicans took over the House that they have devoted time to voting on the issue. To put that in perspective, they have held votes on only 281 days since taking power in January 2011. (The House and Senate have pretty light legislative loads these days, typically voting only three or four days a week.) That means that since 2011, Republicans have spent no less than 15 percent of their time on the House floor on repeal in some way.” [New York Times, 5/14/13]
GOP Shut Down Government Over Health Care Reform. According to NPR, “Remember how that fight over the budget was all about Obamacare? Seems like ancient history now, but House Republicans ostensibly shut down the government 17 days ago, demanding first a defunding, and, when that failed, a year’s delay in the health law. When it became clear that President Obama and Senate Democrats weren’t going to yield to demands to stop or slow implementation of the administration’s signature legislative achievement, Republicans looked for smaller changes. They floated the idea of killing or delaying an unpopular tax on medical devices. Many Senate Democrats joined Republicans in a nonbinding vote of displeasure on the tax earlier this year. The Republicans also looked to take away health insurance contributions for congressional and executive branch staffers. And they proposed to delay a temporary $63 annual per-person health insurance tax intended to build a fund to help pay for high-cost cases. None of those things ended up in the final bill that reopened the federal government and raised the debt ceiling Wednesday night.” [NPR, 10/17/13]
GOP Hoping To Campaign On Exchange Glitches In 2014. According to the Associated Press, “While Congress was arguing, President Barack Obama’s plan to expand coverage for the uninsured suffered a self-inflicted wound. A computer system seemingly designed by gremlins gummed up the first open enrollment season. After nearly three weeks, it’s still not fixed. Republicans hope to ride that and other defects they see in the law into the 2014 congressional elections. Four Democratic senators are facing re-election for the first time since they voted for the Affordable Care Act, and their defeat is critical to GOP aspirations for a Senate majority.” [Associated Press, 10/21/13]
GOP Repeatedly Sought To Pass Budgets Gutting Key Health Care Programs
GOP’s Plan To Defund ACA Would Have Gutted Children’s Health Insurance Program. According to the Huffington Post, “A House Republican proposal to defund the Affordable Care Act would also devastate a program that insured over 8 million moderate-income children this year, Democrats said on Thursday. Under the government funding bill proposed by the House — which includes Rep. Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) amendment defunding Obamacare — the Children’s Health Insurance Program would lose about $13.3 billion dollars, or 70 percent of its funding, on October 1. CHIP provides health insurance coverage to children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but still cannot afford private coverage. The program was set to expire at the end of this month, but the Affordable Care Act reauthorized and funded it through 2015.” [Huffington Post, 9/19/13]
FY 2014 Budget
GOP’s 2014 Budget Turns Medicare Into A Voucher Program, Shifting Costs Onto Patients. According to the Associated Press, “House Republicans unveiled their latest budget outline on Tuesday, sticking to their plans to try to repeal so-called Obamacare, cut domestic programs ranging from Medicaid to college grants and require future Medicare patients to bear more of the program’s cost. […] For his part, Ryan has resurrected a controversial Medicare proposal that replaces traditional Medicare for those currently under 55 with a government subsidy to buy health insurance on the open market.” [Associated Press, 3/12/13]
- Budget Cuts Medicare Spending $356 Over A Decade. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The Ryan budget would cut Medicare spending by $356 billion over the 2013 – 2023 period compared to CBPP’s current-policy baseline. It would save $129 billion by repealing the Medicare benefit improvements in health reform (including closure of the prescription drug “donut hole”), limiting medical malpractice awards, and raising income-tested premiums. Ryan’s budget also includes $138 billion in scheduled cuts from Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula for physicians and $89 billion in Medicare cuts from sequestration.” [CBPP, 3/15/13]
House GOP’s 2014 Budget Plan Proposed To Cut Medicaid And CHIP By A Combined $810 Billion Over A Decade. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, “The House GOP plan again proposes sharp cuts to the Medicaid health program for the poor, tighter food stamp eligibility rules and claims $1.8 trillion in savings over a decade by repealing Obama’s signature overhaul of the U.S. health care system. (A small share of these cuts could come from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which the Ryan budget would merge into its new Medicaid block grant.) This would be an estimated cut to federal Medicaid and CHIP funding of about 21 percent over ten years relative to current law and comes on top of the loss of the significant additional funding that states are slated to receive under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid coverage, and to extend their CHIP programs through 2015.” [CBPP, 3/27/13]
- Nearly All House Republicans Voted For GOP’s 2014 Budget Plan. 221 Republicans voted in favor of the GOP’s 2014 budget plan, while ten voted against the plan. No Democrats voted in favor. [H. Con. Res. 25, Vote #88, 3/21/13]
- All But Five Senate Republicans Voted For Plan. According to the Huffington Post, “The Senate has soundly rejected a balanced budget plan authored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. Five Republicans joined every Democrat present to kill the measure, which failed on a 40-59 vote.” [Huffington Post, 3/22/13]
FY 2013 Budget Plan
2013 Budget Would Cut Medicare By $205 Billion. According to the New York Times, “A fierce two-day debate over a Republican budget plan portrayed as either a path to prosperity or a road to ruin ended Thursday with House passage of a blueprint that would transform Medicare, cut domestic spending to levels not seen since World War II and order up a drastic overhaul of the tax code.[…] Medicare would be reduced by $205 billion. […] Medicare would be turned into a subsidized set of private insurance plans, with the option of buying into the existing fee-for-service program. The annual growth of those subsidies would be capped just above economic growth, well below the current health care inflation rate.” [New York Times, 3/30/12]
House GOP’s 2013 Budget Would Have Cut Medicaid And Other Health Programs By $770 Billion. According to the New York Times, “Medicaid and other health programs would be cut $770 billion.” [New York Times, 3/30/12]
- Only 10 House Republicans Voted Against Budget. According to the New York Times, “The plan, which passed 228 to 191, with no Democratic votes and 10 Republican defections, will form the template around which much of the 2012 election will be fought.” [New York Times, 3/30/12]
- In Senate, 41 Republicans Voted For Budget And Only Five Voted Against It. Forty-one senators, all Republicans, voted to proceed on the House Republican budget. Five Republicans joined all the Democratic senators in rejecting the measure. [H. Con. Res. 112, Vote # 98, 5/16/12]
FY 2012 Budget Plan
2012 Budget Plan Would Have Privatized Medicare Policies And Raised Eligibility Age. According to the Washington Post, “Ryan’s budget, titled ‘The Path to Prosperity,’ would spend about $40 trillion over the next decade — $6.2 trillion less than the budget President Obama proposed in February. The bulk of the savings would come from federal health-care programs, starting with a repeal of Obama’s ambitious new initiative to expand coverage for the uninsured. Starting in 2022, Ryan also would end Medicare as an open-ended entitlement for new retirees and begin slowly raising the age of eligibility from 65 to 67. Instead of getting government-paid benefits, retirees could choose a private policy on a newly established Medicare exchange.” [Washington Post, 4/15/11]
- Plan Would Force Medicare Beneficiaries’ Out-Of Pocket Spending To “Rise Dramatically.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Moreover, CBO estimates that the total health care costs attributable to Medicare beneficiaries would be considerably higher under the private insurance plans they would purchase under the Ryan plan than under a continuation of traditional Medicare, because private plans have higher administrative expenses and higher payment rates for providers. Since the Ryan proposal would reduce the federal government’s contribution for beneficiaries’ health care costs even as it caused total costs to increase, beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending would rise dramatically. In 2022, the first year the voucher would apply, CBO estimates that total health care expenditures for a typical 65-year-old would be almost 40 percent higher with private coverage under the Ryan plan than they would be with a continuation of traditional Medicare. (See graph.) CBO also finds that this beneficiary’s annual out-of-pocket costs would more than double — from $6,150 to $12,500. In later years, as the value of the voucher eroded, the increase in out-of-pocket costs would be even greater.” [CBPP, 4/7/11]
House GOP’s 2012 Budget Would Have Cut Medicaid By Over $700 Billion Over A Decade. According to the Washington Post, “House Republicans approved a budget on Friday that would fundamentally alter Medicare and Medicaid, lower taxes on individuals and corporations and cut $4.4 trillion from the nation’s deficit over the next decade. […] Medicaid would come in for even sharper cuts, exceeding $700 billion over the next decade. The GOP plan would end the financing partnership between the federal government and the states, replacing it with block grants that give states less money and free them to manage the program as they wish.” [Washington Post, 4/15/11]
Budget Would Slash CHIP Funding. According to The Hill, “The 2012 budget proposal released by House Republicans this week would slash funding for a popular children’s healthcare program, leaving children’s welfare advocates wondering where millions of low-income enrollees would turn for care. The GOP’s 85-page budget blueprint doesn’t mention the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but CHIP would lose tens of billions of dollars under the proposal, which was unveiled Tuesday by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). While the Democrats’ new healthcare reform law extended CHIP through 2019 — and expanded funding through 2015 — the Ryan budget blueprint would repeal most of the that law, including the CHIP language, according to Ryan spokesman Stephen Spruiell.” [The Hill, 4/8/11]
- All But Four House Republicans Voted For 2012 Budget. According to the Washington Post, “All but four Republicans voted for Ryan’s 2012 budget blueprint, and every Democrat present voted against it, for a final tally of 235 to 193.” [Washington Post, 4/15/11]
- Most Senate Republicans Voted For House GOP’s 2012 Budget. Out of the 47 Republicans in the Senate in 2011, 40 voted to move forward on the House-passed 2012 budget. [H. Con. Res. 34, Vote #77, 5/25/11]
2010 Republican Alternative Budget
In 2009, Most House Republicans Voted For Alternative Budget With “Premium Support” Medicare Plan. According to Talking Points Memo, “In 2009, 137 [of] their 178-member minority, including Boehner, voted for the Republican alternative budget, authored by — whom else — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). That budget will sound familiar. It ‘[p]reserves the current Medicare program for individuals 55 and older. For those under 55, the resolution gradually converts the current Medicare program into one in which Medicare beneficiaries receive a premium support payment — equivalent to 100 percent of the cost of the Medicare benefit — to purchase health coverage from a menu of Medicare-approved plans, similar to options available to members of Congress.’ The plan also reduced the prescription drug benefit for seniors with household incomes over $170,000.” [Talking Points Memo, 10/18/13]
2010 Roadmap For America’s Future
In 2010, Ryan Introduced “Roadmap For America’s Future” That Proposed Converting Medicare, Medicaid, And CHIP Into Vouchers. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, “The Ryan plan would eliminate traditional Medicare, most of Medicaid, and all of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), converting these health programs largely to vouchers that low-income households, seniors, and people with disabilities could use to help buy insurance in the private health insurance market. Under Ryan’s plan, the value of the vouchers would fall further behind the rising cost of health care with each passing year, so they would purchase less health coverage over time. By 2080, Medicare would be cut 76 percent below its projected size under current policies, according to CBO. In other words, by 2080, the vouchers that would replace Medicare would receive one-quarter of the resources that Medicare would otherwise use.” [CBPP, 7/7/10]
Paul Ryan’s 2007 Alternative
In 2007, Most House Republicans Voted For Ryan Budget Capping Medicare Spending And Instating More Means Testing. According to Talking Points Memo, “In 2007, a similar story played out when 159 of their 202-member minority, including Boehner, voted for Ryan’s alternative. That version of his plan would have capped Medicare spending and cut it relative to the growth of health care costs, and would have imposed further means testing of the program. It didn’t lay out the precise privatization scheme included in the 2009 and 2011 Republican budgets, but it envisioned ‘a reform strategy that will advance the transformation of Medicare into a vital and flexible program that can meet its mission without imposing unmanageable burdens on the Nation’s medical community, and its economy.’” [Talking Points Memo, 10/18/13]
GOP Nearly Shut Down Government Over Defunding Planned Parenthood
In 2011, GOP’s Attempt To Defund Planned Parenthood “Very Nearly Caused The Shutdown Of The Federal Government.” According to NPR, “A lot of people were surprised when House Republicans’ desire to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood very nearly caused the shutdown of the federal government last week. ‘I would assume that most Americans would be surprised, if not shocked, to learn that the largest abortion provider in America is also the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X,’ Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said in January when he introduced legislation to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding. Title X is the federal family planning program. While the use of federal funds for abortion has been banned since the 1970s, and for the entire history of the family planning program, that is only a technicality to Pence and his anti-abortion allies.” [NPR, 4/13/11]
- Majority Of House Republicans Voted For Pence Amendment Cutting Off Planned Parenthood Funding. According to Politico, “The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence’s amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. The vote was 240-185 with 11 Democrats voting for the amendment, and seven Republicans voting against. One member voted present. A group of Republicans on the floor applauded when the vote hit 218.” [Politico, 2/18/11]
Planned Parenthood’s Title X Funding Supports Contraception, Cancer Screenings, And STD Testing But Does Not Pay For Abortions. According to ABC News, “Republicans want to block $70 million Planned Parenthood receives each year under Title X, a program implemented under Republican President Richard Nixon in 1970 to provide contraceptives, cancer screenings, and pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease testing at community health centers across the country. And they want to cut off $293 million the clincis receive through Medicare. Conservative lawmakers say the money indirectly subsidizes abortions, despite the fact that the federal Hyde Amendment expressly prohibits such use of taxpayer funds.” [ABC News, 4/8/11]
In 2012, GOP Spending Bill Tried To Defund Family Planning, Block Obamacare, Let Employers Opt Out Of Birth Control Coverage, And Increase Abstinence-Only Education. According to the Huffington Post, “Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) released a labor, health and education spending bill on Tuesday that would defund Planned Parenthood and Title X, block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, allow any employer to deny women birth control coverage under the ACA for “moral reasons” and increase spending for abstinence-only education. Specifically, the bill prevents federal dollars from flowing to Planned Parenthood clinics until the family planning provider can certify that it no longer offers abortions, even though Planned Parenthood only uses federal money for non-abortion services. The legislation also states that none of its funds can be used to carry out the Title X family planning program or be used to “implement, administer, enforce, or further the provisions” of the Affordable Care Act. The bill scraps the provision in Obamacare that requires insurance plans to cover birth control and other preventative health services, allowing any issuer or sponsor of a group health insurance plan to refuse to cover any health care service ‘on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions.’ It also increases restrictions on educating abortion physicians beyond current law and allocates $20 million for ‘competitive grants to provide abstinence education to adolescents.’” [Huffington Post, 7/18/12]
In 2013, GOP Revived Attempt To Defund Planned Parenthood. According to MSNBC, “In 2011, then-Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana introduced a bill to strip funding from Planned Parenthood because the organization offers abortion services. Pence was comfortable saying that he would hold up the passage of a budget in order to make sure that Planned Parenthood lost federal funding. Pence has left Congress and Planned Parenthood still receives federal funding. All the same, not one, but two members of Congress have reintroduced the bill to defund Planned Parenthood. On the ‘Mike Huckabee Show’ earlier this week, Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn defended her decision to bring back the bill, saying ‘Planned Parenthood is basically big abortion business.’ […] Rep. Blackburn is joined by her colleague, Rep. Diane Black, who reintroduced the same bill.” [MSNBC, 1/9/13]