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First read, then vote on bill

The Spokesman-Review

I think we can all agree that some prudent and necessary changes are needed in our current health care program. Can someone explain to me why the Democratic leadership in Washington will not allow even 72 hours for us to examine the final bill they want our leadership to approve?

What are they trying to hide? They slipped provisions into H.R. 1 mandating the transmission of our medical records to a new government bureaucracy (Section 3001) and the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Title VIII, Sec. 804). This is considered the means of determining the cost-effective decisions as to whether a person gets a medical procedure or not based on his/her long-term value vs. the cost of the procedure. Since no one was able to read H.R. 1 before voting on it, these health care-related provisions were not known to the voters or members of Congress voting on the so-called stimulus bill.

Ralph Hallock

Hayden

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