House members that voted against the health care bill say it will create mounds of federal debt and slashes billions in funding for Medicare. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) responds to the claims by citing an “outrageous” case of Medicare inefficiency in Texas last year. Two counties that had similar demographics and one county spent nearly double per Medicare patient than the other. Baldwin says the bill will reward efficiency.
Cong. Baldwin (:31)
The Madison Democrat says the independent Congressional Budget Office found that $138 billion dollars collectively will be saved over the next decade under the package.
Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) says, however, the legislation is written in such a way that the numbers don’t add up. He says the bill is actually a $2.4 trillion dollar spending bill that will create a $460 billion deficit, the first year alone.
The total vote was 219-to-212, with all GOP members and 34 Democrats dissenting. All of the Democratic Representatives from Wisconsin voted for the package.