Congressman Buyer speaks on health care

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - As President Obama pushes for health care reform, a local lawmaker has concerns about what it will mean for us.

The issue of health care reform has sparked much debate among politicians.

Congressman Buyer says he thinks the public's idea of what health care reform should be is different than the President's.

"Health care reform in Washington has become code word for government controlled health care. So, when most people think about health care reform I think they're thinking about how do we make improvements to our present system and that's what we should be doing," said Buyer.

Republican Congressman Steve Buyer agrees changes should be made to health care. But, he said he's not happy with the Democratic proposal.

"They are hell bent on making America transition to a European social democracy," he said.

The White House.gov website states that among other things, the Obama plan would guarantee choice of doctors and health plans, assure affordable health coverage for all Americans, and end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

"We can do that, improve our access without turning to government control to do that and address the issues of portability and pre-existing conditions without this extreme makeover that they're doing," said Buyer.

Buyer said he worries insured Americans will be forced toward a single payer system that would be government managed. And, he said only a portion of the American population actually needs health care reform.

"We've actually broken down the number of the individuals in America that are uninsured. And, we really should be focusing on about nine to 11 million Americans," he said.

The 2007 U.S. Census data states that about 45.7 million Americans were uninsured.

Buyer said Americans need to stay informed and educated with what's happening with health care.

"I would encourage everyone to get on the internet, learn as much as they possibly can about this public option," he said.

For more information on the White House proposal, click here.

For more information on the GOP stance on health care, click here.