Credit Herald

The U.S. House of Representatives late Sunday approved health-care reform legislation that expands medical coverage to more than 30 million Americans who now lack it.

Here's a roundup of comments from Colorado leaders about the congressional action. (Leave your own comment at the end of this article.)

– Dick Wadhams, Colorado Republican chairman:

"Defying a clear majority of Americans who oppose this health care reform monstrosity, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi and their compliant stooges Betsy Markey, John Salazar, Ed Perlmutter, Jared Polis, Diana DeGette, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall are raising taxes on families and small businesses to pay for a massive expansion of government control of health care. Using bribery and intimidation that would make a Chicago 'community organizer' proud, Obama, Reid and Pelosi also played fast and loose with the numbers to fraudulently claim this bill reduces the deficit. Colorado will be saddled with a dramatic increase in Medicaid costs while taxpayers will be subjected to increased scrutiny by the IRS. The good news is that Democrats will face the wrath of voters this November.

"As state Republican chairman, I know this sets the stage for big victories this fall. As an American, I fear for the future of our country unless we repeal this bill."

– U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver (in a floor speech prior to the House vote):

"Just as when building a house, you have to first put down a foundation. Today, we are laying the foundation for a health care system that will provide every American access to high-quality care. A foundation that will immediately ban insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick—people like my childhood friend who lost his insurance when he got prostate cancer and later died too soon. A foundation that will, beginning this year, … give tax credits to small businesses so they can offer affordable coverage to their employees; a foundation that will now give parents of young adults the ability to keep their kids on their policies while they start their careers; a foundation that will finally give adults with pre-existing conditions the ability to buy affordable insurance. And starting right away, insurance companies cannot exclude children like my own young daughter who have chronic conditions, such as diabetes or asthma, from coverage no teletrack payday loan.

“…This bill is just a foundation—we still need to build upon it. But it sets up a good, strong foundation—one that will serve us now and in the years to come."

– U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora:

“Our health care system is in desperate need of reform but this massive government takeover is not the answer. I cannot support a bill that burdens families and small businesses with half a trillion dollars in new job-killing taxes, strips half a trillion dollars from Medicare to fund a new entitlement program, drives up the deficit, and buries our nation in debt. The assumptions given to the Congressional Budget Office by Democrats are completely unrealistic and disingenuous - the real cost is more than $2.6 trillion dollars. Our nation simply cannot afford this bill and there are better, common sense solutions that Americans support.”

– U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden (in a statement issued Saturday):

“Now is the time to focus on the policy of health insurance reform. Throughout the week and through my position on the Rules Committee, I’ve worked with House leadership to make sure we take a vote on the substance of the historic improvements we are making to the way Americans access to health insurance in this country. I saw no reason why we shouldn’t have an up or down vote on each bill. Too much is at stake, for the thousands of people in the 7th [congressional district] with pre-existing conditions and the families and small businesses who want to get insurance for themselves and their employees."

– State Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton:

"Despite overwhelming public opposition, Washington D.C. Democrats steamrolled the American people and the citizens of Colorado today by ramming the health care bill through. It's baffling that the ruling party from D.C. to Denver does not get how sick and tired the people are of being abused by their government. We need reform that is focused on patients and their health care choices, not back room political deals."

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