(Posted by admin with permission from The Signal) While President Barack Obama called for action on health care reform in a Wednesday night speech to Congress, a local congressman criticized him for failing to truly seek a bipartisan solution.
“They (the Democrats) are not working with us on this,” said Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.
McKeon spoke to reporters on the phone hours before Obama’s speech to discuss matters not so uplifting to the Republican Congressman.
“In tough economic times, why should we jump into a government health care plan?” McKeon asked.
He said the public option would inflate the deficit and was not the best choice for the nation.
Hours after McKeon lobbed critical comments at the president for pushing a partisan plan on health care reform, Obama delivered a speech to both houses of Congress.
“I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last,” Obama said in his address. “Well, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action.”
Obama put some meat on what his critics have called a bare-bones plan Wednesday night.
“As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most,” he said.
Obama’s plan would lift limits put on coverage and allows the uninsured to collectively purchase health care reform, which he added would attract private insurance companies into competing for the uninsured.
Read more here: McKeon attacks health care agenda