Congressman Denny Rehberg

Offers further insight into public concerns with healthcare

BILLINGS, MT - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius following her visit to Montana to discuss the health care legislation that was signed into law earlier this year. Polls at the time of passage indicated that Montanans strongly opposed the measure, and recent reports indicate that time has not improved the bill’s popularity. Rehberg has sponsored legislation to repeal the bill.

“I wish the authors of Obamacare had taken the time to listen to Montanans before they passed it instead of after, but I’m glad that they’re finally willing to hear what the folks I’ve been hearing from for years have to say,” said Rehberg, a member of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. “Americans still need health care reform that addresses costs and access, and unfortunately, the bill that passed addresses neither for rural states like Montana. At this point, the easiest solution is to start from scratch.”

Rehberg, who was the only member of Montana’s delegation to hold open, public meetings in Montana as the health care reform law was drafted and passed, cited the public sentiment he heard at those meetings as the justification for his vote. That negative public sentiment was also reflected in statewide polls, that indicated strong opposition to the bill.

“Unfortunately, the unpopularity of Obamacare is only a symptom of the serious deficiencies in the bill itself,” said Rehberg. “Far from fixing the problems we face, this job-killing bill makes things worse by hamstringing the economy and targeting small businesses for increased regulation and expenses.”

Letter:

Dear Secretary Sebelius,

Thank you for taking the time to visit Big Sky Country and discuss the health care needs of rural Montana. While it certainly would have been preferable for you to discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with Montanans before it was actually passed into law, I’m pleased you got a chance to talk to folks in a couple of communities.

As I’m sure you heard during your visit, quality health care is particularly challenging in a state like Montana where less than one million people are spread over 147,000 square miles. Having held 72 open and public listening sessions in Montana this Congressional term alone, I would like to share with you some of the rural health concerns I’ve heard from around the state.

As with most of the country, Montana’s economy is driven by small businesses which provide more than 98 percent of the jobs in our state. I have heard from a wide variety of small business owners who have expressed concern about the new obligations contained in the PPACA. Whether it’s the mandate to offer health insurance, new taxes on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs), increased insurance premiums, or the requirement that all vendors are responsible for additional IRS paperwork for purchases of $600 or greater, many businesses have stopped hiring or are being forced to reduce their workforce to comply with these new obligations. In short, these burdensome obligations impact job creation.

I have also heard from many of Montana’s seniors and their doctors with concerns about Medicare. Not only does the PPACA cut $575 billion from Medicare, the new law does nothing to deal with the most pressing issue facing Medicare today – the need for a permanent fix to the reimbursement rate cuts for doctors providing service to Medicare patients. Many doctors have told me that if these cuts go into effect they will no longer be able to afford to offer services to their Medicare patients. In a state where some patients must travel for hours to reach their doctor, it may be impossible to find an alternative provider.

Additionally, I have heard concerns about the cost of the new high risk pool program. We discussed this when you testified before the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this year. While I agree that changes are necessary to address the health insurance needs of those with pre-existing conditions, current estimates indicate this temporary program is going to cost up to three times the original estimate of $5 billion. It’s unclear how you intend to pay for this shortfall. Furthermore, because this estimate was so inaccurate I have serious concerns as to the accuracy of the cost estimates of permanent programs.

Many of my constituents are also opposed to the individual mandate to purchase health insurance. As you know, a recent ballot initiative in Missouri found that 71 percent of voters opposed the individual mandate. While no such equivalent survey has been conducted in Montana, it only takes one open, public listening session to realize that folks here share this concern.

Thank you again for visiting Montana. I hope you’ll keep the thoughts of Montanans in mind as we continue to address the problems facing America’s health care system.

WASHIGNTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, this week introduced an amendment to the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill that would have blocked funding for the enforcement of a particularly ominous new reporting requirement for American small businesses.  The provision – which will require companies to start issuing 1099 tax forms to all vendors  from whom they purchase more than $600 in goods and services – was intended to increase tax revenues to pay for the  health care benefits that don’t even begin until 2012 or later.  Currently, businesses  typically issue 1099 forms only to independent contractors and freelancers receive them each year from their clients.

“Before we even get to the mountains of health care-related paperwork that small businesses are  facing, this tax provision requires Montana small businesses to track every penny they spend over $600 in the course of a year,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittee.  “For example, if a company spends $600 on miscellaneous supplies from the local supermarket, they’ll now be required to submit a tax form reporting that expenditure to the IRS.  That’s time that you could be using building your business and creating jobs.”

A recent poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicated that 68% of small business owners say the government’s regulations hurt the economy and job creation.  Rehberg, who has long fought to reduce required government paperwork, has also co-sponsored H.R. 5141, the “Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act,” which repeals the burdensome new 1099 provision in the Health Care Bill.

“Congressman Rehberg’s effort to halt this egregious tax grab perfectly captures the frustration that Montana’s small business owners have been voicing,” said Riley Johnson, the Montana State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business. “They know this new health care law, with provisions like this, will bury them in paperwork and force them to spend even more money on tax compliance.  Those new costs mean less investment in their business and fewer jobs – the exact opposite of the kind of policies small businesses need to create jobs and jump start our economy.  We look forward to working with pro-small business members like Congressman Rehberg to repeal the 1099 reporting provision once and for all.”

Rehberg’s Amendment would have prevented any funds from being used to implement this provision.  It failed on a strictly party-line vote.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today offered an amendment during the initial stages of next year’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Bill reducing the cost to the taxpayer by $13 billion.

“While talking about spending freezes next year, House Democrats are blowing up the spending this year to compensate,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Humans Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee.  “This slight of hand is at best ineffective and at worst completely dishonest and cynical.  This freeze is empty rhetoric because it won’t actually reduce spending, or even hold it steady.  Montanans expect better.  My amendment essentially implements the spending freeze a year early – locking last year’s funding level in place.”

The national debt has grown to more than $13 trillion, which is more than $42,000 for every man, woman and child in America.  Despite not passing a budget for the coming year, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee has requested $176 billion for next year.  That figure was $163 billion this year.  Rehberg’s Amendment reduces the 2011 funding figure to the 2010 level.

“I’ve joined Republicans in forgoing earmarks this year, promising it was the first step toward true comprehensive spending reform,” said Rehberg.  “My amendment gave my Democratic colleagues a chance to actually put taxpayers money where their mouths are, and they said no.  When it comes to fiscal reform, the distinction couldn’t be more clear.”

Cites Public Outcry Against Bill, Bad Policy of the Bill and Negative Economic Impacts of the Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, responding to overwhelming public outcry has cosponsored H.R. 4972 which would repeal the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” and H.R. 5424 which would repeal the bill and replace it with the Republican alternative that he supported when the health care bill passed in the House.  Rehberg has consistently stated that, while health care reform is absolutely necessary, doing the wrong thing would only make things worse.

“Since most of the provisions in this bill don’t even kick in until years from now, we’ve still got time to fix health care with common-sense solutions,” said Rehberg, a member of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.  “The bill we’ve got now is so bad, even its supporters are holding their noses, promising it’s just a first step toward some future reform that allegedly would lower costs and increase access.  Well, it’s a trillion dollar step in the wrong direction and one we can correct right now.”

Public Outcry Against Obamacare

Last month, Rehberg emailed Montanans a survey asking them if they thought Obamacare would lower health care costs.  Of the thousands who responded, a stunning 83 percent said this legislation won’t lower costs, while only 11 percent thought that it would.  Equally telling, when asked if the end-cost of Obamacare for the taxpayer would be more or less than advertised, 83 percent said the law would be “much more expensive than advertised.”

This negative sentiment reflects what Rehberg heard directly from Montanans at 44 public listening sessions he held across Montana before the health care vote.  It’s this public outcry, including the strong opposition he heard in thousands of letters, faxes, emails and phone calls that Rehberg has credited for his vote against Obamacare.

Bad Policy of Obamacare

The first Obamacare Tax (10% tax on tanning businesses) kicks in today, and already the only part of the bill that’s been implemented – a temporary bridge for a federal high-risk pool – is running as much as 200% over budget according to the latest CBO estimates.  Meanwhile, the most important parts of the bill won’t kick in for years – leaving us a decade of payments for a few years of benefits.  The effort to repeal Obamacare is not opposition to every provision contained in the bill, but an attempt to bring lawmakers back to the table to pass legislation that works for Americans, not just a few special interest groups.  Rehberg remains committed to true health care reform that will lower costs and increase access for Montanans.
 
“The problem is that this bill doesn’t do anything to address the root of the problem, which is skyrocketing costs and declining access,” said Rehberg.  “The alternative I voted for included true cost savings measures.  Real lawsuit reform that would help end the wasteful practice of defensive medicine.  Allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines, giving patients more options and lower costs.  Letting small businesses and associations pool their health care just like the mega-corporations and the government do now.  Instead, all this bill does is shift the rising cost from the suffering patient to the suffering taxpayer.”

Negative Economic Impacts of Obamacare

While failing to address the health care crisis in any meaningful way, Obamacare creates onerous burdens for small businesses around the country – costing jobs.  On top of complex formulas to determine health care requirements and taxes, the legislation actually creates an incentive to reduce the number of employees on the payroll and cut the number of hours for those who survive the Obamacare purge.

“Small businesses wanted healthcare reform that would lower costs, increase competition and provide more choices for quality, private health insurance,” said Riley Johnson, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.  “Instead, the new healthcare law taxes the very plans that small businesses buy and is so loaded down with new fees and mandates that small business owners are finding themselves forced to choose between hiring a new worker or offering healthcare to their employees.  This is the exact opposite of what our entrepreneurs need or can afford, and certainly won’t help create the jobs we need to move this country out of this recession.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s ten-percent tax on indoor tanning businesses, which was passed as a part of the Democrat’s health care bill that passed despite bipartisan opposition. The tax goes into effect on Thursday,  July 1, 2010, and is the first of many new taxes included in the health care legislation.

“With the stroke of a pen, these Montana small businesses will see their operating costs increase by ten-percent overnight.  The result of the increase in cost will be passed onto the consumers, which will reduce their consumption and cost jobs.   Higher costs and fewer jobs are not a good prescription in an economy like this one, and especially when all we get for it is a health care bill that does nothing to reign in the cost of health care.”

On September 12, 2008, President Obama promised that “No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking for a variety of clarifications relating to the Superfund cleanup in Libby, Montana.

“As much as the folks in Libby want this cleanup to be over, they also want it to be done right,” said Rehberg.  “The EPA needs to provide important clarifications regarding its completed work, and also what their obligation will be in the event that it doesn’t get done right the first time.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a less than thorough response from the federal government, so the skepticism of the local community is completely justified.”

Rehberg’s letter to the Director of the Superfund Remedial Program for EPA-Region 8 is included below:

Dear Director Murray:

I’m writing to make you aware of public concerns regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent signing of Records of Decision (ROD) affecting portions of the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site.  As you know, RODs for Operable Units (OU) 1 and 2 were signed by EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last month.

I’ve heard from constituents who are concerned that, despite the completed ROD, there remain visible pockets of vermiculite scattered in OU1 as a result of disturbances to soil and other surfaces.  Currently, the public is allowed to access these areas.  Many in Libby believe their questions haven’t been adequately answered, particularly in regards to whether EPA will return to Libby if future evidence reveals that vermiculite exists in areas deemed safe by the ROD.  As a result, I’d appreciate your response to the following questions:

1.      What is the process for reopening the ROD based on the presence of vermiculite in OU1?  What level of perceived risk must be reached to either rescind or review the ROD once it has been issued?

2.      Have the health risks of exposed vermiculite in OU1 been assessed and determined to be not a risk to public health?  What measures are being taken to assure local government and citizens that public activities can occur in OU1?

3.      Have all the comments from citizens, local government and other concerned stakeholders been responded to before the ROD was issued?

4.      Have health risks from exposure to vermiculite in OU1 and OU2 been adequately addressed to provide the public reasonable assurance that a permanent level of cleanup has been achieved?

5.      Are sufficient institutional controls in place to provide remedial actions for activities in these operable units to address issues such as excavation, construction and public events in the area?

As this process moves forward, I ask that EPA remember the importance of addressing public input and concerns relating to the cleanup effort.  Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please don’t hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today joined House Republican colleagues in unveiling America Speaking Out.  By providing an online forum for Montanans to voice their opinions in setting priorities for a national agenda, this initiative mirrors the public input that Rehberg has solicited at 44 public listening sessions and through online social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“Montanans are sick and tired of the vote-first-ask-questions-later approach to lawmaking that Speaker Pelosi has adopted.  It’s a recipe for bad laws, and worse, it’s a sign of an unresponsive government that serves its own interests before the interests of the people.  That’s why I hosted 44 public listening sessions.  That’s why I asked for 30 days to come back to Montana and listen before any vote on a health care bill.  That’s why, on a daily basis, I interact with thousands of Montanans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  It’s time Washington, D.C. listens to the people.  We want to know what you think.  And that’s what America Speaking Out is all about.”

America Speaking Out is the first legislative website of its kind.  Using modern online tools, it empowers users to submit their own ideas or weigh in on the ideas of others.  It creates a one-of-a-kind pipeline to Washington, D.C. that will help make Congress look a lot more like Montana.  Montanans can access America Speaking Out online at http://www.americaspeakingout.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has been recognized for promoting “the principles of liberty and the strength of the Constitution,” by the American Conservative Union (ACU), the nation’s oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization.  Rehberg was named an “ACU Conservative” with a 92% percent rating in 2009 based on 25 votes covering government bailouts, wasteful spending, taxes, and health care reform.  Rehberg has a 90% lifetime rating with the ACU.

“I voted with Montanans who believe that government isn’t the solution to all our problems and that government is most effective when it empowers individuals with freedom and opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Liberty Caucus.  “It’s these ideals, shaped by the input from Montanans at 44 listening sessions that shape my voting record.”

The American Conservative Union was founded in 1964 as a grassroots organization promoting traditional values, a market economy, a strong national defense, and the doctrines of the Constitution.  The ACU has published an annual rating of Congress since 1971 based on 25 votes each in the House and Senate.  Key issues in the first session of the 111th Congress included the financial industry bailouts, stimulus spending, energy policy, federal abortion funding, and health care reform.  Rehberg is the only member of the Montana delegation to vote against every bailout and the $1 trillion so-called stimulus package.

“This award is a reflection of Representative Denny Rehberg’s consistent support of conservative principles on a wide range of issues of concern to grass roots conservatives in 2009,” said David A. Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union.  “At a challenging time when the fundamental principles on which the American system of government are being challenged, Representative Denny Rehberg stands with those who are trying to preserve those principles.”

Secretary Sebelius: “We Don’t Know” How Much It Will Cost

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today questioned Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about expected over spending on one of the first provisions of the President’s health reform bill which became law last month.  Rehberg questioned Secretary Sebelius at an Appropriations Committee Hearing.

“While everyone knows this health reform law doesn’t do anything about the cost of health care, some have made the laughable claim that it would reduce the deficit,” said Rehberg.  “Now, the first program out of the gate is already coming in over budget with Secretary Sebelius telling Congress she has no idea how much it will end up costing.  As a member of the Committee that writes the checks, it’s my job to hold people accountable when they spend more than they were supposed to.”

The health reform bill included an appropriation for $5 billion for a temporary high risk pool for people with preexisting conditions.  While those funds were meant to last through the 2014 implementation of the Health Care Exchange, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now projects these funds will be exhausted by 2012.

When asked why this program was over its original budget and how much more money the Department of Health and Human Services was going to be requesting from Congress to maintain the temporary program until 2014, Secretary Sebelius indicated that she didn’t know how much the program would cost.

Rehberg has long touted Montana’s successful high risk pool and has long advocated for modifications to this existing program as a way to close the gap on the uninsured instead of a complete overhaul of the system.

“I warned that this bill would only shift the rising costs of health care from the struggling patient to the struggling taxpayer,” said Rehberg.  “Now we’re starting to see the real costs of the bill are more than advertised.  No one is surprised, but it’s becoming evident that these costs will also be passed on to our children and grandchildren in the form of federal debt.”

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement in response to reports of threats against supporters and opponents of health care reform legislation.

“There’s no place for violence in the health care debate.  These isolated incidents are unfortunate and take away from what makes American democracy so strong.  I have hosted 42 public listening sessions across Montana, and while the folks I heard from are deeply passionate about this issue, I’m proud to report that they have always disagreed in a civil way.”