coburn: thank you. we have been discussing health care in washington for the past eight, nine months rather vigorously. four years ago i started working on a bill with my colleagues in the senate, and we introduced a bill two years ago and modified it this year. it was introduced before the house bill. it was introduced before the senate bill. it was introduced before the bill that we have on the floor at this time. and it's called the patients' choice act. and we heard several times that the republicans just want to stop this. as a practicing physician, i fully recognize the need to significantly reform health care. there is no question. i recognize. and in that bill is guaranteed issue. no preexisting conditions are allowed in exchanges under our bill. but i also recognize that as we fix health care, some of the things that we cannot do is make our fiscal situation worse and also our inefficiencies worse. and earlier today i submitted for the record research put out and published in october of 2009 wh

coburn who was followed by senator durbin. we do have short pieces but what is the issue? >> senator coburn is a straight talk gain, the dazed and get the little emotional about this issue. he was on the floor this afternoon and it was sort of the acknowledging that republicans can do much now to stop the bill from passing out of the senate. >>host: we have mr. cockburn and mr. durban from earlier today. here is a look. >> it is not about being bipartisan but you can take-it-or-leave-it. the american parade that somebody can not make the vote tonight. so that we can actually get the metal, and i understand

coburn: you raise a good question. we're going to fix it. how long have we known and how long has medicare been in trouble but we haven't fixed it? we won't fix it. we'll do exactly what you just said, what we always do, what we've done since i have been in this body. we put the credit card into the machine and say transfer this to your grandkids. we take no pain ourselves. what is lacking in our country today is moral character to lead on the basis of sacrifice, and it should start with us as senators in this body. i understand our time is -- the presiding officer: the minority's time is expired. mr. coburn: and i appreciate the chair and i look forward to hearing the remarks in the cloakroom of the chairman of th. mr. baucus: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: just a couple three points here, and then i see the senator from ohio wishes to speak. several times during this afternoon, senators on the other side of the aisle, in my judgment a little demonstration of trying to offer amendments. they repe

coburn: that's why i'm not a member of any h.m.o.'s. mr. ensign: we kind of have an insurance-centered system today to a large degree, and now we're going to make that worse. instead of going more toward a patient-centered, we're going to go from an insurance-centered to a government-centered, to where these government bureaucrats now start being in control of the eventually what kind of care you're going to get, what's paid for and all of that. and we need to put the doctor and the patient back at the center of our health care system. mr. coburn: let me finish this for a minute if i might. here's the summarizing paragraph. the economic reality is that no rationing of care supply will ever control costs when the problem is demand inflation driven by popular insurance tax subsidies too sacred to repeal. consider that when federal fiscal necessity overwhelmed the empty slogans -- our empty slogans, scores of new bureaucracies created in this bill would be able to implement draconian rationing in collusion with subservient insurance and provid

coburn: they'll go to thailand or india. mr. ensign: i was going to say that. but where will americans go? mr. coburn: i thank the senators for holding this colloquy. make one final point before i stop. i don't doubt the motivations of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. they want us to fix this probl problem. the problem in health care. but the problem's cost. and if you don't fix cost and you just expand the same broken system, you haven't fixed anything, you've just added to the cost. mr. burr: i thank the good doctor and thank the president and yield the floor. mr. menendez: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: madam president, i rise to speak to the great debate we're having on historic health care reform, and i'm reminded of the words of a great republican, president abraham lincoln. he said -- quote -- "we cannot escape history, the fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor of the latest generation. the occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the

we did that with senator coburn. nine times we said we wanted to co-sponsor. usually it takes once and they say yes. i've always accepted that. so has everybody i know in the senate. nine times we asked to co-sponsor and their office either said we'll get back to you or ignored our calls and e-mails because it was all a sham. they don't -- they clearly don't like the public option. they were making fun of it. their whole game is to delay and deceive and to play political games. and when they offer an amendment saying sign up for the public option -- force -- tell members of congress they have to join the public option, i think i should. i think we all should. but they don't even like it themselves. so it's just a little partisan games they're playing. and this is too serious for them to play those kinds of games. >> what is in this public option alternative we expect to see next week? >> yeah. well, i don't see a public option alternative. we've compromised four times already on this. and we've compromised enough. it's time -- it's time for the four democrats

chris, you are on with senator coburn. i actually agree with senator coburn. i think that what we need to do is stop the process right now and work towards -- i think that senator sanders' plan is what we need, because the whole idea of president obama's proclamation was that we would give health care to people who need it. what are we having a whole entire system for people who already have insurance? guest: i think he makes a good 0.34 $2.50 trillion, -- he makes a good point. for $2.50 trillion, and half of them we will put in medicaid, which has a substandard outcome, and half the doctors in this country won't take, we ought to create access. there is a lot of ways to do that. everything is focused on the politics of health care right now, and the senators are getting tired and they're kind of at each other's throats over things that normally it would not be at each other's throats. what we ought to do is really fix the real problems in health care. the real problem in health care is cost. if we can get rid of half of

coburn: will the senator yield for a question? mr. baucus: i can't agree to a request for 72 hours -- mr. coburn: will the senator yield for a question? mr. baucus: yes. mr. coburn: one of the reasons that i want this, is it not his belief that the american people get to see this for 72 hours as well and that it ought to be on the internet and everybody in america, if we're going to take one-sixth of our economy, that we ought to have the time to truly read, you know, we're going to have a managers' amendment and that's actually what mine is focused on. mr. baucus: sure. mr. coburn: but to not just read the managers' amendment but to go into the bill -- mr. baucus: i think it's a good idea. i think it's going to happen. mr. coburn: you won't agree to it by unanimous consent -- mr. baucus: i cannot at this time. again, saying, as my expectation is that it will be available for more than 72 hours. mr. coburn: i appreciate the sincerity of the chairman's remarks. mr. baucus: thank you. i object. mr. coburn: mr. president, i have another

coburn. yet, still members pr-t other side come to the floor and say republicans haven't offered anything. we were the first. they may not have liked it, but we were the first. you know what? it doesn't cost this and it doesn't raise taxes. i think dr. coburn later on will talk about that bill a little bit. i was glad to see that politics comes from all sides. in the manager's amendment we dropped the tax on botox. hollywood really spoke out about this tax on one of their health care tools. and what did we replace it with? we've now put a 10% tax on tanning salons. how in the hell does that affect health care? explain that to me. are we going to tax everything in this country? i can make a tremendous case that the 10% tanning salon tax gets exactly the person that the president said he wasn't going to effect: people that made under $200,000. or are we income testing the tanning tax too? mr. coburn: would the gentleman yield for a question? mr. burr: happy to yield. mr. coburn: if we're going

coburn from oklahoma, and doctor barrasso from wyoming. i wonder if they would bear with me for just a minute or two to reflect on something that the majority leader said and the -- what the minority leader said. the minority leader talked about a historic mistake. there's been a lot of talk around here about making history on health care. the problem is there's many different kinds of history as the republican leader -- leader has pointed out. it seems our friends on the other side are absolutely determined to pursue a political come cozkamakazee mission for td states. i did a little research on historic mistakes. we made them before in the united states congress and maybe we'd be wise to take governor schwarzenegger's advice and slow down and learn from our history rather than try to top our previous historic mistake, like

coburn: i thank the senator. the first comment i would have is relying on what a wall street analyst says today. they have about this much credibility in this country today. look at the economic situation we find ourselves in because of what wall street analysts have said. that's the first point i would make. the second point is the majority whip yesterday said we should not cut medicare -- we should cut medicare advantage because of the 14%. senator dodd recently went after the patients choice act because we actually make it be competitively bid without any reduction in benefits. your bill for every medicare advantage cuts 50% of the benefits out. it cuts the benefits. and so the difference is -- and i agree with the majority whip. we do need to have the savings in medicare advantage. but the way you get that is through competitively bidding it, at the same time maintaining the requirements for the benefits that are offered. there's a big difference in those two. ours ends up being pure savings to save medicare.

i hope senator coburn can make it to the floor to explain his statement. earlier this week, there was a prayer cast involving several senators. i didn't hear it. i only heard references to it, where they were actual until a group praying for the defeat of this -- actually in a group praying for the defeat of this legislation, on health care reform. it is their right to do that. i can recall as a high school football prayer saying a -- player saying a prayer that my team win a football game. i don't know if god had enough time to worry about my little football game, but when it reaches a point that we're praying, asking people to pray that senators wouldn't be able to ask the roll call, i think it has crossed the line. and i hope my colleague and friend from oklahoma will come and explain exactly what he meant. now, snar as far as this bill ts before us, i must say i wish this bill were different. i wish it had a strong public option. i wish it offered medicare to people 55 years and older. i wish it eliminated the mccarran-ferguson antitrust exemption for

there's the gregg bill, the coburn-burr bill. there are any number of proposals out there that the majority decided that we don't think those bills are worth debating on the floor. so they've not allowed those bills to come up. what are republicans for? we said this over an over and over again. let me just say that we're number one for meaningful, affordable access to health insurance by every single american. and we can do it in a way that doesn't raise taxes. we are for providing coverage for all americans, including those who have preexisting conditions. we can do it in a way that does not raise taxes. we are for trending down the cost curve which when it comes to health care reform, if we don't turn that cost curve downward, then we have failed the american people. and, frankly, the independent congressional budget office has said that health care costs under the reid proposal is going to not only continue to go up, but it's likely to -- not continue on its current curve, but it's not only going to go up, but not go down. jus

coburn: i thank the senator. the first comment i would have is relying on what a wall street analyst says today. they have about this much credibility in this country today. look at the economic situation we find ourselves in because of what wall street analysts have said. that's the first point i would make. the second point is the majority whip yesterday said we should not cut medicare -- we should cut medicare advantage because of the 14%. senator dodd recently went after the patients choice act because we actually make it be competitively bid without any reduction in benefits. your bill for every medicare advantage cuts 50% of the benefits out. it cuts the benefits. and so the difference is -- and i agree with the majority whip. we do need to have the savings in medicare advantage. but the way you get that is through competitively bidding it, at the same time maintaining the requirements for the benefits that are offered. there's a big difference in those two. ours ends up being pure savings to save medicare.

coburn: so there is no transparency. and what we do know that is transparent is that we're going to have three organizations -- the medicare advisory commission, the cost comparative effectiveness panel and the u.s. preventive task force -- that's going to tell everybody in america what they're going to receive. mr. mccain: this would never have been known if it hadn't been for the actions of the bureaucracy. doesn't that bring into question what else is in this legislation? coburn what are the unintended consequences of this, they don't know. what we know is there are 70 new government programs that with 1,690 times when the secretary of h.h.s. is going to write rules and regulations about your health care in america. mr. coburn: the secretary. not your doctor. not your doctor is going to write the rules and regulations about what your best care is. the secretary of h.h. is s. is going to -- the secretary of h.h.s. is going to write the rules. mr. mccain: the majority leader keeps bouncing proposals to c.b.o. back and f

coburn: if my colleague would yield. i ask the chairman of the finance committee to agroo to a unanimous consent that in fact at least 72 hours that the american people get to see this bill. that the members of the senate get to see the bill. that there will be a complete c.b.o. score so we can have a complete understanding. he denied that request. that goes to transparency. the american people expect us to know what we're voting on and have read what we're voting on. and his explanation was that i can't guarantee that. that presumes a certain level of perception on my part and delving into the mind of the senators that they would understand. what does understand mean? that's the kind of gibberish that the american people don't want. they want us to know what we're voting on when we vote on this bill. mr. mccain: isn't that a violation of the commitment made that for 72 hours that the legislation would be online not just for us to see, but for all americans to see. could i ask the senator from kentucky, again, the leader

coburn: mr. coburn: i think the senator from north carolina is going to get to where i'm going to go later, and that is what is the motivation for the decision making. i think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are well-intended, but i don't think they're well-informed about what the consequences of what their intentions are. so if you set up the task force for preventive health services and say you're going to rely on it, but we know they're going to make the decisions based on cost effectiveness, not clinical effectiveness, what we're going to see is the american cancer society coming again and again and again because what we're going to do is we're going to cover those where it's cost effective but not clinically effective. and for 80% of americans, they're not going to notice the difference. but one out of five americans is going to notice the difference. the second area which i really want to spend some time on because we've actually modeled it after england is cost comparative eff

coburn to that question? mr.coburn: they're going to cut care, which means you're going to have more complications, which means you're going to have worse outcomes. that's what's going to happen. rather than changing the payment formula, which is really what we should do, by rewarding quality and rewarding outcome rather than rewarding, you know, flipping a switch, that's what needs to happen. but we're going to take the same antiquated system, we're going to cut $465 billion from it, and then we're going to add -- my colleague from tennessee is correct, it's 34 million people if they include everybody from 55 to 64 in the same program. mrs. hutchison: is the senator saying whether you were at the top of your class, like the senator from oklahoma or the senator from tennessee or the senator from south dakota, or the bottom of your class, like the senator from arizona has admitted, he held down the fort, regardless of where you are on the quotient of where you stood in your class, you know what the bottom line is?

coburn: but au pair does. mr. mccain: most experts on the health care issue believe this could be a windfall of millions and millions and tens of millions of dollars for aarp if the legislation is passed as it is presently crafted. mr. alexander: the senator from arizona, how many medicare advantage members, for example, there are in the state of arizona? is it a small program or a large program? mr. mccain: our figures are 330,000 people in my state of arizona. and i did notice yesterday when the distinguished chairman of the finance committee and the senator from connecticut were talking, the way that they were disparaging the entire program, how it wasn't any good and about the cost overruns and it really was a bad program. they have opposed it from the start. and so the message is to 330,000 americans that -- citizen of my state who have medicare advantage, they're out to get you. mr. crapo: in tennessee, it is my understanding that nationwide it's about one quarter of all medicare beneficiaries. just about on

coburn and dr. barrasso for my domain. and i'm wondering if they were there with me for just a minute or two to reflect something the minority leader said. and the senator from arizona, the minority leader, the republican leader talked about a historic mistake. there's not a lot of talk around here about making history on health care. the problem is there's many different kinds of history as the republican leader has pointed out in seems our friends on the other side are absolutely determined to pursue a comic odyssey of political kamikaze mission towards a mistake which will be disastrous for them in the elections of 2010, but much more important that for the country. i did a little research on historic mistakes. we've made them before in the united states congress and maybe we'd be wise to take governor schwarzenegger's advice and slow down and stop and learn from our history, rather than try to top our previous historic mistakes like the smoot-hawley tariff. that sounded pretty good at the time in 1930 with the idea was

tom coburn. [cheers and applause] >> thank you all. let me first of all say -- in the mic. let me say thank you for taking the time out to be here. what our country lacks is our active involvement to return the freedom that is rightfully ours back to a loss again. what our country lacks is the active involvement of the citizens of this country to return the freedom that is rightfully ours back to us again. the healthcare bill isn't about health care. the health care bill is about government control. the health care bill is about eliminating the liberty and freedom to choose what is best for you and your family. you know i've practiced medicine for over 25 years. i am a two-time cancer survivor and the best health care system in the world. [cheers and applause] and that does not mean that there are not problems with our health care system. but i will tell you the government runs 60% of healthcare in this country and they don't do a good job at any one of those levels. and this bill will move another 20% of health care under control of the government. if in fact you are here

here's what coburn rights.very american not just seniors knows the rashing will reduce their quality of life and life-span as well. creating new comparative effectiveness research programs. cer panels have been used in other countries such as uk where 15,000 cp'cer patients die prematurely every year. other unintended bills could @% wreck havoc. what happens when they demand to buy insurance and realize the penalty. it won't take longer for other healthy americans to pay a 750 tax recovery than 5,000 in annual when coverage can't be denyed if you get sick. i referenceed the "wall street journal"'s pole and then we'll get to your calls. public is turned against the overhaul of the sweeping bill of the healthcare in the senate. more americans believe it's better to keep the current healthcare than to pass president barack obama's plan. )jurh new "wall street journal" pole. overhaul enjoy the slight edge over the status call to get waivering lawmakers on pole. 44 percent of americans said it's better to pass no pl

coburn: yes. mr. baucus: if it's over paid, wouldn't it necessarily mean there's a reduction in payments to each beneficiary? mr. coburn: no. mr. baucus: by definition. mr. coburn: i disagree with that. mr. baucus: if they're overpaid -- mr. coburn: here's what i would say. this morning the claim made by you and senator dodd is that medicare advantage is not medicare. medicare advantage is medicare law. it was signed into law. it was a part of medicare. you would agree with that? mr. baucus: yes. 2003 i made the mistake and agreed to give the medicare advantage plans way more money than they deserved. and as you said, they're overpaid. mr. coburn: i agree with you. you won't hear that from me. now, how did we get there? how did we get there to where they're over paid? we had an organization called the center for medicare and medicaid services. they're the ones that let the contract, aren't they? they, in fact, are. and 25% of the overpayment has to be rebated to c.m.s. today. you would agree with that

coburn: i thank the senator. the question i was going to ask -- the presiding officer: the senator made a unanimous consent request. it's granted. the senator from oklahoma. mr. coburn: the question i was going to ask, how many medicare advantage patients has he ever paid for? how many medicare patients has he ever cared for? how many times has he been in the trough experiencing the heavy hand of government as we try to care for people on medicare? the answer to that question is zero, because he's not a physician. he relies on the american medical association, the american medical association that today represents less than 10% of the active practicing doctors in this country. he relies on aarp who has 40 million in membership but is the fifth largest revenue receiver from supplemental policies. that's who he relies on. the fact is he doesn't have the experience of being in the trough, caring for patients. now, let me tell you what's going to happen to medicare advantage patients. the senator would not yield to m

including oklahoma senator tom coburn. >> in the mic. let me first of all say thank you for taking a timeout to be here. what our country lacks is our active involvement to return the freedom that is rightly ours back to us again. what our country lacks is the active involvement of the citizens of this country to return the freedom that is rightly ours back to us again. the health care bill isn't about health care. the health care bill is about government control. the health care bill is about eliminating the liberty and freedom to choose what is best for you and your family. you know i practiced medicine for over 25 years. i am a two-time cancer survivor in the best health care system in the world. [cheers and applause] and that does not mean that there are not problems with their health care system. but i would tell you the government now run 60% of the health care in this country and they don't do a good job at any one of those levels. and this bill will move another 20% of health care under the control of the government. if in fact y

i would refer him to the coburn-burr bill that does away with the discrimination that insurance companies can't deny health insurance because of preexisting conditions. i heard him say that we're newfound supporters of medicare. well, let me suggest to him that when we learned from the complaints of his party four years ago when they were berating the fact that we wanted to take $10 billion out of medicare and how that was ruining medicare, well, we're faced now with $464 billion out of medicare, and so we think that they've talked out of both sides of their mouth in the sense that four years ago medicare would be hurt if $10 billion was taken out. well, surely if $464 billion is taken out, it's hurting medicare. i rise not to take on the senate whip -- majority whip at this point, but i rise because we keep hearing from the other side about how premiums are going to go down and i've referred in previous remarks in this past week to a letter sent to senator bayh that provides a very comprehensive analysis of what health insurance premiums look like as a result of this reid bill now before

coburn: a lot of rural. i don't know the income levels. i know there is a propensity, you actually get a savings because you don't have a to buy a supplemental policy if you're on medicare advantage. mr. barrasso: -l following on with my colleague from oklahoma, there is the coordinated care. that is one of the advantages of medicare advantage. there is also the preventive component of this. if we talk about ways to help people keep their health care costs down, it has to do with coordinating care and preventing illness. a senator: we just heard we want to put a new preventive package in the program by the freshmen on the other side. yet we want to take the preventive care out of the package. interesting mix, isn't it? mr. barrasso: we want to keep our seniors healthy. that is one way they can stay out of the hospital, out of the nursing home. stay active. yet this cuts medicare advantage. the democrats have voted to do just that, cut all this money out of this program that seniors like. 11 million american seniors who depend upon medicare

but coburn has threatened e same tacc when the final veion of the bill-- roughly 000 pages-- comes to the floor. the republican goal:o make mocrats give up and start over. >> there's a chae, there's a chance thawe could stop this-- start beginninin january. we'd all be willing come back, sit down togher, negoate, with the cspan cameras... with the cspan cameras as the psident said, commitd that he would do as a candidate. and we'd sit down gether, here, at the white hse, anywhere and fixhis system which we know needfixed. >> reporter: so fa though, marity leader reid shows no signs of giving in. and the are rumblings the senate may spend lg nights deting-- between now and christmas-to force a final vote. >> lehrer: healtcare reform is one of two major challges facing president oba over the next 48 hours, the oth is climate change. david axelrod is t president's nior adviser. i spoke with him late is afrnn from the white house briefing room. david axelro welcome. is hlth care reform now in rious jeopardy in the senate >> no, i think we are where were, jim . we've got strong suppo for h

coburn: thank you. i wanted to spend a few minutes'minutes-- as a physiciad for medicare patients for years, i can't tell you how worried i am about what this bill will do to my senior patients. you know, when medicare was first written, two things were put into the law. very straightforward, very direct. and let me read them to you for a minute. and i hope america listens to this, because here's what the law is. and c.m.s. is breaking the law today, and with the new medicare commission, they're going to break it even further under this bill. section 1801, nothing in this title shall be construed to authorize any federal officer or employee to exercise any supervision or control over the practice of medicine or in the manner in which medical services are provided or over the selection, tenure, or compensation of any officer, employee of any agency or person providing health services. or to exercise any supervision or control over the administration or operation of any such institution, agency, or person

>> senator coburn is a straight talk gain, the dazed and get the little emotional about this issue. he was on the floor this afternoon and it was sort of the acknowledging that republicans can do much now to stop the bill from passing out of the senate. >>host: we have mr. cockburn and mr. durban from earlier today. here is a look. >> it is not about being bipartisan but you can take-it-or-leave-it. the american parade that somebody can not make the vote tonight. so that we can actually get the metal, and i understand i am over here but we ought to get to the middle of america and the middle of the senate a bill that can run through this country and actually do what we say we want to to do. >> the one to renew my a invitation to the senator from oklahoma to please come to the floor soon before my time expires recalled his office to make sure he knew i was trying to reach him i spoke on the floor to alert the republicans had won him to explain a statement he made on the floor earlier today. the statement the american people ought to pray that somebody cannot make the vote tonight. th

the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma, senator coburn, is recognized. mr. coburn: i'd like to ask unanimous consent to have three minutes outside of the time allotted to make a point of personal privilege. and i'd ask unanimous consent for that. the presiding officer: is there -- mr. coburn: i would say that the reason is today's my 41st wedding anniversary, and i was going to discuss that. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. coburn: in 1953 i met a young lady -- actually it was 1954, a young lady when she was six years of age. her name was caroline. i went through grade school with this young lady. i went through junior high with this young lady. i went through high school with this young lady. the only serious dating relationship i ever had in my life was this young girl named caroline denton, and she became one of my best friends in high school. and it just so happened one weekend i couldn't get a date and she didn't have one, and i asked her out. and from that point forward, i fell in love with somebody i've been married to

senator coburn has talked about this.e has an excellent article in "the wall street journal" two days ago. senator enzi, who is the ranking member and also serves on the finance committee to protect american patients from "nice" style rationing. unfortunately, they have all been voted down on party-line votes. it's not that we haven't tried. let's get to rationer number two, the independent medicare advisory board, right here, the second wall between you and your doctor. the obama-reid bill establishes a new, independent medicare advisory board, an unelected, unelected body of 15 so-called experts who will decide medicare payment policy behind closed doors, no congressional input. so when they make this decision on briewrmt -- on reimbursement to all of the health care providers and then all of the health care providers, some of which in their national organizations have chosen to go along with this bill and wake up to the fact that they are not protected, they're going to come to the congress and some in the congress wil

and yes i'm intensely suggest not to do anything to medicare advantage have not read the coburn bill because he got $40 billion more out of medicare advantage than we do in our legislation as proposed. let me just what is icann and conclusion from the national committee reserves social security and medicaid. again, not a organization. their sole mission is to see to it that social security and medicare will be there for the people is intended to support. in a letter sent to every united states senator from the commission, but make what exactly from it. not a single penny of the savings in the senate bill, the bill i propose, well, but the pockets of beneficiaries in the traditional medicare program. i medicare savings included in the house bill, the patient protection affordable care act will positively impact millions of medicare beneficiaries by slowing the rate of increase in out-of-pocket costs and improving benefits and it will extend a sovereignty the medicare trust fund is five years. to us, this is a win-win for seniors and the medicare program, end of quote. we can hear all

coburn and then senator chambliss. >> i want to talk a little bit about, if you like the plan you have today can keep it. reverends summer web site very soon will be a letter from the democratic insurance commissioner of oklahoma says this bill is a disaster for oklahoma. not only will it raise insurance premiums, it will decrease the numbers of people available but even more fort lee the state employees in oklahoma will be under the tax for having to reach of a plan. by the time 2013 rolls around, so every state employee in oklahoma is going to pay a tax on their health care policy. they are not going to be able to keep it. if you have an fsa your not going to be of to keep it. so the very fact is if you really like what you have got today, your employer likes with you have got to date in you like what you have got today you can't keep it. i have had to other caveat. there is a grandfather clause in the bill but if you change one significant word in the health-insurance contract for your employees the grandfather clause goes away and then you come under the rules and regulations of th

awhile now, i'm reminded of one of our colleagues -- the senator from oklahoma -- the doctor, tom coburn, whose mother passed away on sunday. sometime this weekend there is a service, and i know that my colleagues join me in saying to tom, "our hearts and our prayers go out to you and to your family." my mother died in between the time i was elected to the united states senate but before i was actually sworn in. she was able to live to see me win but not -- she didn't live to see me sworn in to the united states senate. and i know how traumatic the loss of a parent can be. but i remember in my case how quickly you focus on the fact that mothers have an incredible gift given to them by god. the gift of birthing children, of replenishing the next generation, and how quickly i remember my focus shifted from the loss of my mother to the responsibility of my children. because i think as parents, we had undervalued that. and that was a shock to me, to make me wake up and say, i have a responsibility now to make sure that i nurture, to make sure that i raise, to make sure that i educate fell on

coburn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. coburn: thank you. medicare doesn't cover everything. 84% of all medicare patients have to buy a supplemental policy now. do you know what kphaeupbg is about -- medicare crank? who set the price on medicare advantage? the government set the price. the very same people you want to run it now created a 14% premium. the insurance industry didn't set the prices. the center for medicare services set the prices. the government is responsible for that different repbgs. why is medicare -- for that differential. why is medicare advantage important? because the majority of people can't afford to buy a supplemental policy to make them whole. so medicare advantage for 89,000 oklahomans is the only way they get equality with the rest of their peer group that can afford to buy a supplemental policy. and now we're going to take that ability away from the poor seniors in oklahoma, arizona, iowa, illinois, and we're going to say you don'

>> this afternoon senator tom coburn, a republican from oklahoma, objected to what to what is generally waved which is the reading of an amendment, so senator coburn's recommendation forced the clerk to read an amendment offered by vermont's bernie sanders in its entirety which was problematic in a way because for the democrats because the amendment was almost 800 pages long so there were several hours of the senate clerk reading through the amendment which was gobbling up precious for time. >> how common is it for senators to ask an amendment or bill be asked to read in its entirety? >> it happens from time to time but it's on common. the senate rule requiring a bill to be fred is almost routinely waived. >> can we expect to see more of this kind of tactic? >> we can. republicans are threatening to potentially ask to have a manager's amendment which still has not been fully crafted but the majority leader harry reid is working the next day or so. republicans say they may call to have that amendment which could be several hundred pages read aloud as well. >> let's take quick look how th

we also will hear from tom coburn right here in the radio and tv gallery.that to you after the house session. and heavy snow is falling all over the region, but that is not keeping the senate from working. the defense spending bill is now back to health care. since 8:35 this morning, a clerk has been reading the manager's amendment. this is expected to last until 3:00 this afternoon, after which they are expected to begin debating health care. it is expected get an agreement will be reached after ben nelson agreed to support the bill. he says he will build for the bill after winning concessions on abortion. the democrats as he would not have supported the bill without the change. the vote gives senate leaders the 60 votes they need to pass the bill. you can see coverage of the senate on c-span t2. "(d) quality measures. again, we are anticipating remarks from tom coburn. we will have that for you like. now to live coverage of the house for a short pro-forma session. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a commu

senator coburn offered that amendment. senator kennedy and myself and others voted for that coburn amendment. i think it may have shocked the senator from oklahoma that we actually voted for his amendment at the time. i know that senator brown has been added as a cosponsor. i have no objection to that amendment. that's how much that i think the public option will be worth. if we have a public option in this plan -- and my hope is that we will -- then i think there is nothing wrong with insisting that members of congress be included in that public option proposal. and so his amendment suggests that. we support it in our committee, and i'm prepared to support it again here on the floor of the united states senate. and again, i point out that i think that's a wonderful -- i just wish we could get members as well who are reluctant to support this bill to recognize that as members of congress today, we all have pretty good health care plans under the federal employees benefit package, some 23 different options every year that a

you are on with senator tom coburn. >> caller: good morning.u for taking my call. >> good morning. >> caller: there was a question that was asked earlier by the representative -- of the representative. she didn't answer it, and then there was banter about the lieberman act. the question is what is the constitutional authority to mandate buying a product health insurance and putting criminal penalties on that product if you don't purchase it? what is the constitutional authority that allows congress to pass that kind of law? i haven't heard an answer for anyone on how our legal staff handles that. >> i can give her an answer. there is absolutely no constitutional authority for us to do that. as a matter of fact, there's not even a constitutional authority for a lot of what we do in washington. we have expand the numerated powers far beyond what we can afford. we've gotten almost to the point where the government is doing everything at the federal level and taking away the rights and privileges at the state level because we preempted. i heard the

coburn: i have a qn for both the senator from north carolina and the senator from nevada. can the state of nevada or the state of north carolina or the state of nebraska or the state of oklahoma be healthy if our country as a whole isn't healthy? so no matter what we do for our own states, if, in fact, we're not thinking about the country as a whole, the best, right thing for the country as a who whole, none of our states can flourish? mr. ensign: i think the senator from oklahoma has made a wonderful point. right now, my state is suffering terribly, not because of anything individually, like that we didn't get our fair share of something. my state is suffering because the whole economy is in the doldrums and because we're such a tourist economy, construction oriented, the housing industry, all of those things in the general economy went down, my state's suffering. so you're exactly right. we should be looking at what's best for the entire country, because this is one of those things, as john f. kennedy said, a rising tide raises all boats. well, if the whole country's doi

coburn: regular order, mr. president.the presiding officer: regular order is the reading of the amendment. the clerk: section 1514, payments for prescription drugs. section 1515, payments for approved devices and equipment. section 1516, payments for other items and services. section 1517, payment incentives for medically underserved areas. section 1518, authority for alternative payment mythologies. part 3, mandatory assignment and administrative provisions. section 1520, mandatory assignment. section 1521, procedures for reimbursement appeals. sub title g. financing provisions american health security trust fund. section 1513, amendment of 1986 code, section 15 not to apply. part 1, american health security trust fund. section 1531, american health security trust fund. part 2, taxes based on income and wages. section 1534, payroll tax on employers. section 1536, health care income tax, sub title h. conforming amendments to the employer retirement income security act of 1974. section 1601, erisa inapplicable to health co

coburn's instructions prayed real hard. -- couldn't show up at the vote the other night. how hard did you pray? i see one of our members is missing this morning? is it back problems. -- one of our members died. how hard did you pray senator? did you pray hard enough? >> host: senator barrasso, he was referring to the senator inhofe who was not in the round of voting this morning. >> guest: in vote this morning. 60 votes in favor of bill. whether senator inhofe was there didn't make a difference. no way he would vote for the bill, senator from oklahoma. so that's why he wasn't there this morning. >> host: do you know where he was, senator? why he wasn't able to make the vote this morning? >> guest: i don't know. >> host: new jersey, on independent line. >> caller: i had a question on bribery issue, ben nelson, but that issue you addressed a little bit. but i have another issue. i tried to have this, issue discussed openly here with our community and stuff here in northern new jersey and how do we get you people to actually address the problems of illegal aliens? i was on c

coburn are probably the only two. and maybe we could give him the benefit -- give us the benefit of his experience and also not only benefit of his experience, but i'm sure he's going to tell us what's the impact going to be on these -- on the low-income seniors from his state. mr. barrasso: i agree with the senator from arizona that people choose to be on medicare advantage. 11 million people have chosen to be on medicare advantage because it's a wise choice to make, because they get better benefits. they get dental care. they get the vision care. they get the hearing. they get the fitness thing. mr. mccain: as we do. mr. barrasso: just as we do. it works on preventive care and coordinated care. mr. mccain: i don't think they have as nice a gymnasium as we're going to get. mr. barrasso: it's also no surprise that when people read about it and learn about it that they would want to be on medicare advantage. what the senator from utah has said and the sponsor of this amendment, the money that goes into this program is

senator coburn, i have a message for you. you are going to die soon, unquote. we'll come if you want to know what fearmongering is, that is the best example i can give you. so you know i decided to go back and look at the past congressional records and i thought, have republican spoken like this over the years of the time they try to do some health care? everytime we have tried to make life better for people such as social security and i will let you be the judge. in 1935 on the floor of the house of representatives during the debate on social security republican congressman jenkins of ohio said, of social security bill. remembered have not passed. quote, this is compulsion of the rankest kind. do not be misled by the title. the title says quote, old age benefits, and polk. shame on you he said for putting an unfair title on such a nefarious bill. old age benefits, think of it he said. oh what a travesty. mr. chairman what is the hurry? nobody is going to get it done until 1942. what is the hurry about crowding and then const

often, senator max baucus, senator john mccain, dick durbin, and lamar alexander and finally tom coburnnators who have spoken along this on this -- senator max baucus has logged eight hours and 20 minutes. senator charles grassley has logged seven hours, 52 minutes. senator dick durbin, 7 hours 53 minutes. host: linda in bethesda, maryland, you are opposed to the senate health care bill, why? caller: good morning. i apologize for my laryngitis. i feel that this bill will eventually kill of innovation in medical research in the united states once we go down this slippery slope. the government will pay for more and more. we already know that nih grants are down. doctors and people considering going to health care, the bright ones will not go in because all the market incentives will be gone very medical schools are very expensive and i see this as a slippery slope into a government run health care eventually because that is what legislation does once you get it done. host: what kind of health care do you have? caller: have healthcare with an employer. i am happy with it but under this bil

it's the coburn-burr bill. it has seven cosponsors. that's it. that's it, nothing else. not all of the republicans are supporting it. my friends on the other side are all over the place. they can't even agree among themselves what they want to do. they have no comprehensive bill like we have come up with. so i keep hearing that we democrats are not bipartisan, but who do we deal with? just the senator from arizona, just the senator from tennessee? how about the senator from oklahoma or the senator from south carolina? well, i'm sorry. i feel sorry the republicans are all split up. they have not done their own homework, to pull their own senators together for something positive. so what they have done is they have pulled together to say no, to try to kill the reform bill that we have worked so hard on all year. now, we extended a hand. now, if we had really wanted to ace out the republicans, we would have followed their lead and what they did in 2001 when they ran through that tax cut for the wealthy. they did it on reconciliation so we couldn't filibuster it, so we could

i've yet to hear, aside from senator mccain and senator coburn whorbgs went to two or -- who went to two or three provisions of the bill they disagree with, i've yet to hear anyone say we shouldn't fund our military. we certainly should. some have come to the floor and argued the reason we're in this predicament is because the democrats, in control, have waited too long to bring this bill to the floor. but that statement fails to acknowledge the reality of what this calendar year has meant because day after day and week after week, month after month with very few exceptions the role and strategy of the minority -- the republicans in the senate -- has been to slow down and stop consideration of important legislation. mr. roberts: would my friend and colleague yield? mr. durbin: pardon me? mr. roberts: would my friend and colleague yield? mr. durbin: only for a question. mr. roberts: only for a question? mr. durbin: i yield for a question. mr. roberts: i want to assure him, in the form of a question, if he were asking me am i filibustering, that is not the case. the problem was, as i s

and that turns your employees on for coburn talking about restoring people's a full life and health but if you have a bank and they are not turning customers and helping them get to financial self-sufficiency than you are not going to have a good thing and it is the same with financial literacy. how can you make, bender live taking advantage of people so i admire what you are doing john but it really comes down do we can make a difference in the world and i think a lot of us look at powerful leaders when. we were right about president obama and we were right about the powerful leaders in history that change the world but each of us has a calling to make a difference in the world we are in and change the world. be part of that small group of people. i can't change the world but i can change the part of the world i am in. when my fiancee died suddenly three weeks before the wedding back in 1968 that was pretty shaken and i thought going into it i was on top of the world and all of a sudden this came out of left field for me in for her because it was undiagnose. one of the things i learned