Dave Camp RSS Articles

Camp Lead Author of The Republican Health Care Bill to Lower Health Care Costs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Having spent the past nine months developing a comprehensive health care reform package, Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) today introduced the Common Sense Health Care Reform and Accountability Act. The legislation will serve as the Republican alternative to the health care bill crafted by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Twenty-one of Camp’s colleagues co-sponsored the bill, including Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA).

“Republicans listened to the American people who have been saying loud and clear: lower health care costs,” said Camp, the lead author of the legislation. “This bill will significantly reduce health care premiums, guarantee those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health care and increase the number of insured Americans. I am particularly proud to say this bill will reduce premiums for small businesses and their employees by up to 10 percent, and that we did it without increasing taxes, with government mandates and without increasing the deficit. In fact, this bill will reduce the deficit by $68 billion.”

The GOP health care bill will:

• Lower health care premiums – according to Congressional Budget Office data premiums for a family purchasing insurance on their own and not through their employer would be $5,000 less than under the Democrat plan.
• Establish Universal Access Programs to guarantee access to affordable care for those with pre-existing conditions and make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to those who had prior insurance.
• Implement lawsuit reform to end junk lawsuits, saving taxpayers $54 billion.
• Prevent insurers from unjustly cancelling a policy or instituting annual or lifetime spending caps.
• Encourage Small Business Health Plans so these employers could get some of the same benefits and cost reductions larger employers enjoy.
• More than double the wellness incentives, providing up to a 50% premium rebate for those who adopt healthier lifestyles.
• Allow Americans to buy insurance across state lines.

The Republican bill avoids several controversial aspects of the Democrats bill. Under Camp’s health care reform bill, taxpayer dollars could not be used to pay for abortions and illegal immigrants would be barred from receiving taxpayer subsidies.

In contrast to the Pelosi bill, the Republican alternative includes no tax increases and spent far less than the Democrats’ $1 trillion plan. The bill introduced by Camp would spend only $61 billion, but would be completely offset and reduce the deficit by $68 billion. Camp noted it was important to do this without raising taxes, especially when the national unemployment rate spiked to 10.2 percent and Michigan’s remained above 15 percent. Using the methodology developed by Dr. Christina Romer, President Obama’s top economic advisor, the level of taxation in the Democrats’ bill could eliminate another 5 million American jobs.

“That level of taxation just isn’t sustainable,” said Camp. “How are we going to create jobs with all those new taxes? How would employers be able to reinvest? Health care reform should lower costs without raising taxes, and that is what the Republican bill does.”

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House, Camp, extend unemployment, tax credits that will help homebuyers and America’s small businesses

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

The House today passed a bill that will help American families even more by extending unemployment benefits for an additional 20 weeks in 29 states that, like Michigan, have more than 8.5 percent unemployment. Michigan’s unemployment is the highest in the country at 15.3 percent.

Camp said in support of the bill: “We want to help provide those looking for work to survive the downturn. For residents of counties in my district like Clare, whose unemployment rate is 16.8 percent, or Montcalm at 17.6 percent, these extended benefits are a necessary lifeline. This is about helping American families right now. With nearly half our states at double-digit unemployment, it’s clear the Democrats’ stimulus plan has failed to create jobs. I have asked since February, ‘Where are the jobs?’ The Democrats’ plan is not working. Until our economy is back on track and actually creating jobs, we must provide help to those who cannot find jobs.”

The bill is expected to be signed into law by the President as early as tomorrow.

The bill:

· Extends unemployment by 20 weeks, to 99 weeks.

· Extends and expands homebuyer tax credits, including extending the $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers to April 30, 2010.

· Helps businesses through a tax credit that will help them reinvest back in their companies – and American workers and our economy.

Earlier this year, Camp warned that the President’s stimulus plan would be slow to take effect and that spending wouldn’t create anything but additional deficit. Camp instead proposed a plan that would create twice the jobs at half the cost. And as unemployment rates continue to rise, he has repeated the call to repeal the current stimulus and instead proposes giving every working family immediate tax relief, and focus on helping small businesses which will immediately help turn around the unemployment rate.

“Americans need immediate relief. We need more jobs, not more unemployment checks. I ask, again, ‘Where are the jobs?’” Camp said.

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CBO Confirms GOP Health Care Bill Delivers What America Wants – Lower Costs

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Millions of families' premiums will be $5,000 lower under GOP plan, compared to the cheapest plan in the Democrats' exchange, said the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI), who played a key role in developing the Republicans’ health care bill, touted today an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing health insurance premiums for many families would be nearly $5,000 more expensive under Democrat reforms compared to the Republican plan. Americans have repeatedly said their top priority in the health care reform debate is lowering the cost of health coverage.

Camp issued the following statement in reaction to the CBO analysis:

“Republicans listened to the American people who are saying loud and clear: lower health care costs,” said Camp. “This bill will significantly reduce health care premiums and insure millions of Americans without raising taxes or spending $1 trillion, which is what the Democrats do.

“Americans’ health care is too important and too complex to risk on Democrats’ 2,000-page gamble. Instead, Republicans are promoting a step-by-step approach to comprehensive health care reform, and the first step is to make health insurance affordable for families, affordable for small businesses and affordable for America.

“Unlike the Democrat plan that increases taxes almost immediately but delays reforms for several years, the Republican plan will immediately begin to lower costs.

“With this bill, Republicans are proving you can lower health care costs without raising taxes, without cutting Medicare, without spending over $1 trillion and without putting the federal government in charge of your health care decisions.”

NOTE: Earlier this week, the CBO estimated that in 2016 the “average of the three lowest-cost basic plans” under the House Democrats’ bill would be $15,000 for a family. Today, CBO estimated that the Republican bill would lower premiums in the individual market up to 8 percent, the small group markets by up to 10 percent, and the large group market by up to 3 percent. According to CBO average health care premiums in the individual market would be $11,000 in 2016 under current law. An 8 percent reduction in those costs would mean a premium of $10,120 – nearly $5,000 less expensive than the cheapest Democrat plan, which CBO says is unlikely to attract many families, meaning average premiums would be even higher in the Democrats' exchange.

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Camp Statement on Republican Health Care Bill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), who as the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee played an instrumental role in crafting the Republican health care bill, released the following statement regarding the Republican health care bill:

“American’s health care is too important and too complex to risk on one gigantic piece of legislation. Instead, Republicans believe in a step-by-step approach to comprehensive health care reform. The first step is to enact common sense reforms that make health insurance affordable for families, affordable for small businesses, and affordable for America.

“Unlike the Democrat plan that increases taxes almost immediately but delays reforms for several years, the Republican plan will immediately begin to lower costs – the first step to expanding coverage. Specifically, the Republican plan will: 1) protect Americans even if they have been or get sick, 2) significantly reduce the cost of insurance premiums, especially for small businesses and their employees, and 3) improve quality of and access to our health care system.

“In giving Americans a new ability to force insurance companies to continue providing coverage if they wrongly terminate a plan, implementing meaningful lawsuit reforms – like those in Texas and California – and through other reforms, every American will have access to a health insurance plan and we will lower premium prices – without raising taxes.”

To learn more about the Republican plan, please click here for a summary and please click here for the full bill text.

Democrats' health bill wrong prescription for what is ailing this country

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Statement by Rep. Dave Camp
House Floor
11/3/2009

"Mr. Speaker – I ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute.

The bill that we may be voting on later this week is the wrong prescription for what is ailing this country.

The CBO confirmed the Democrats’ bill spends well over $1 trillion, far more even the President called for.

CBO also noted that the bill would increase the federal “commitment” to health care by $600 billion this decade alone.

Nearly half of the people who get coverage in the bill will get it through in Medicaid. This isn’t health care reform; it is welfare expansions – expansion of a program that is already crushing state budgets.

The Democrats’ bill includes more than $700 billion in tax increases, many of which will be paid by middle class families, including:

• penalties on people who don’t buy insurance
• penalties on employers who can’t afford to cover their workers;
• and new taxes on FSAs, HSAs, insurance premiums, and medical devices.

The bill also includes about $500 billion in Medicare cuts that will reduce seniors’ access to doctors, hospitals, and force millions out of their Medicare Advantage plan.

House Republicans support taking the first steps towards comprehensive reform that is focused on driving down costs for all Americans."

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Recognizing the Importance of Adoption and Supporting National Adoption Month

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

In recognition of the importance of adoption for the 130,000 children waiting for a family, U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, and the House have passed a resolution supporting National Adoption Month, November, and National Adoption Day, Nov. 21.

For more information on National Adoption Day and events in your area this month, please click here. To see more on Camp’s extensive background on adoption issues, see below.

Camp released the following statement of support for the bill:

“Madam Speaker: I am pleased to rise today in support of H. Res. 831, a resolution that recognizes the successes of federal efforts to encourage adoption, and honors National Adoption Day and Month.

As an avid adoption supporter, I believe that Congress must continue to promote the adoption of children into safe and loving homes. Through our work in 1997 as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and more recently through the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Congress has made significant advances in providing more options for children in need.

Yet, far too many children, nearly 130,000, are waiting in foster care programs throughout our country for families to adopt them. These children should be given every opportunity to lead successful lives, and one way to make that happen is to increase the adoption of these children into safe, permanent, loving homes.

That is why National Adoption Day and Month are so important. This year, National Adoption Day will take place on November 21, and is designed for communities around the country to highlight adoptions. Last year there were events in all 50 states during which the adoptions of 4,000 children were finalized.

This year is especially important, as the National Adoption Day is celebrating its 10 year anniversary. This is a significant achievement from its humble beginnings, when Los Angeles County Judge Michael Nash started “Adoption Saturdays” to help facilitate the adoption of foster children.

I have been honored to participate in National Adoption Day over the past several years. To be part of such a special occasion reinforces the need for further efforts to move kids into adoptive homes.

I would also like to highlight the efforts of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to promote adoption through its annual Angels in Adoption Awards Ceremony, held in September. This event also highlights those that have opened their hearts and their homes.

This year, I was honored to nominate Sarah and Steve Rosinski, from Traverse City, Michigan, as Angels in Adoption. Steve and Sarah became foster parents when a young boy name Logan was placed in their home. Coming from a difficult family, Logan needed special attention and care. The Rosinskis gave him the love and support he needed to thrive and made him a permanent addition to their family by adopting him in 2007.

They now are fostering a baby girl, also coming to them with early challenges – again, putting the child’s best interests first, they are working on a reunification plan with her family. The Rosinksis have never asked for recognition for what they have done, they have simply done what is right. This is what National Adoption Day is all about.

I first got involved by helping families with their adoption proceedings as their attorney. I strongly believe that we have the ability and the opportunity to help encourage adoption and help those in the foster care system. That is why it is so important to recognize the families who make extraordinary efforts to welcome children into their family and highlight the importance of National Adoption Day and Month.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.”

BACKGROUND
U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, is one of the leading adoption and foster care proponents and experts in the House.

He has a long background and insight into foster care and adoption issues. As an attorney in private practice before his first election, Rep. Camp worked extensively with parents and children in the foster care system. His experiences have informed his introduction of a number of landmark adoption legislation, including the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and led to his reputation as one of the House's leading adoption and foster care proponents and experts.

The Adoption and Safe Families Act put the health and safety of children first, and gave our nation’s foster children a fighting chance. It streamlines the adoption process to quickly help move more children in foster care into permanent adoptive homes. The law also offers incentives to states to increase the number of adoptions, and require them to more aggressively pursue adoption efforts when a child’s safety is in danger. Camp’s legislation also spurred National Adoption Day (November 21, 2009) and National Adoption Month (November), while encouraging adoption throughout the year.
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Public, Congress need at least 72 hours to read bills and amendments

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Legislative transparency is a necessity, especially with huge bills moving quickly through Congress, said U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means. Camp supports initiatives that would ensure transparency in the legislative process by making bills and amendments available online for at least 72 hours before a vote, making text of bills considered available no later than 24 hours after a committee amends a bill, and requiring that committee votes are made public electronically within 48 hours after votes.

“Members of Congress and the public need time to read and digest these vast bills that are going to affect large parts of our economy, our government, and our lives,” Camp said.

The most notable example of a bill secretly being rushed through the legislative process this year came when a 300-page amendment was added to the Cap and Tax bill at 3 a.m. the night before the vote passing the bill. More than 300 pages of law, a huge chunk of our economy – and who knows what was in it?

And now Democrats, after three months of secret deliberations, have added 1,000 more pages to the 1,000 page health care bill. They hope to vote on it late next week.

“Who know what else they will add before the bill goes to the floor, and how long the American people will have to read that, to know how their health insurance, their health care, and their taxes will change,” Camp said. “Health care is one-sixth of our economy – we’re talking about overhauling one-sixth of our economy and no one knows how it will be affected? That is dangerous precedent and unfair to the American people.”

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Camp reacts to House Democrats' Health Care Bill

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member, today released the following quote in reaction to the Democrats finally revealing details of their health care bill, after nearly three months of closed door meetings:

"Americans' health care is too important and too complex to risk on one gigantic bill that has been written behind closed doors. After three months, all that has changed is that Democrats have added 1,000 pages to it – doubling in size a bill that still costs $1 trillion, still creates a government takeover of your health care, and still hurts Americans.

“While we still need to look at every detail, the end impact of this bill appears to be the same. Under the latest version of Democrats' trillion-dollar government takeover of health care, working families will still face higher taxes and higher health care premiums, millions of Americans will lose their current health plan, and seniors will bear the burden of one-half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts that will lead to fewer benefits and fewer doctors and hospitals to treat them."
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Says House Democrats' Bill Threatens Seniors Health Care

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Flanked by seniors and House Republican Leaders, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) today discussed a recently released analysis from the nonpartisan experts at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the government agency that runs these programs, showing the House Democrats’ health care bill could harm seniors’ medical care.

“The conclusions of this report confirm what we have heard from other nonpartisan, independent experts: seniors could lose Medicare benefits and even access to a doctor if the House Democrats’ bill is enacted,” Camp said. “Seniors health care is too important to risk on one gigantic gamble that cuts one-half trillion dollars out of Medicare to pay for it.”

CMS’ Office of the Actuary estimate that the effects of the current health care proposal include:

Fewer Doctors And Hospitals Treating Medicare Patients:
“Providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantive portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable and might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries).”

Medicare Benefits Will Be Cut for 11 Million Seniors:
Medicare Advantage (MA) cuts would result in “less generous benefit packages. …Under current law, MA plans use rebate revenues to reduce Medicare coinsurance requirements, add extra benefits such as vision or dental care, and/or reduce enrollee premiums for Part B or Part D of Medicare.”

Millions of Seniors Will Lose Their Health Plan:
As a result, of the Democrats' Medicare cuts, OACT predicts that enrollment in MA will decline from 13.2 million in 2014 to just 4.7 million, a 64 percent decline in projected enrollment. This also means that millions of seniors will lose the health plan that they have today.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) arrived at similar conclusions. In their report, CBO estimated that Medicare cuts contained in the Democrats’ health bills, “could lead many plans to limit the benefits they offer, raise their premiums, or withdraw from the program.”

“America’s seniors clearly have a reason to be concerned about the Democrats’ health care bills,” said Camp.

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Camp Champions Solar Energy Development

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Solar manufacturing got some warm support from the House and U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, as they voted to boost this emerging alternative energy market. The House-approved bill, HR 3585, would invest $2.25 billion for a solar technology research and development program. It also creates a committee to study the near- and long-term R&D needs in solar technology. The committee will be made up of at least 11 members appointed by the Secretary of Energy from among experts in fields including different sectors of the domestic solar technology industry; national laboratories; academia; relevant federal agencies; relevant State and local government agencies.

“This will be a great economic boost, especially for mid-Michigan which is investing heavily in solar technology. Solar and alternative energy is a promising path for our state. With the nation’s highest unemployment and an ongoing transition into a brand-new era of manufacturing, it is steps like this that will bring the job creation Michigan so sorely needs,” Camp said.

The 4th District is a national leader in solar and wind technology and is home to solar manufacturing companies like Dow Chemical, Dow Corning and United Solar Ovonic.

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