Appearing on Allen Boyd's website today...

[tosh]

edited to add link: http://boyd.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=388&Itemid=60


Boyd Calls for Fiscally Responsible Healthcare Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Calling rising healthcare costs the single largest threat to our country’s economic future, Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida) today expressed his intent to vote against the healthcare legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and urged his colleagues to continue working toward a fiscally responsible bill that would lower insurance premiums for all Americans and drive down the overall cost of healthcare services.

“While the House bill does take some positive steps toward increasing coverage and reforming insurance regulations, it simply falls short when it comes to lowering healthcare costs for North Florida families and businesses,” said Congressman Boyd. “Improving our healthcare system is of utmost importance to me, but meaningful reform must reduce the skyrocketing cost of healthcare services. Until I have confidence that a healthcare reform bill will effectively curb rising healthcare costs and ease the burdensome pressure millions of Americans feel when paying their healthcare premiums or doctor bills, I cannot in good faith support this bill.”

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has indicated that the House bill does little to reduce the escalating cost of healthcare services, meaning that healthcare costs will continue to rise at unsustainable rates and insurance premiums will continue to plague hardworking Americans.

Congressman Boyd believes it is possible to meet the healthcare needs of Americans while at the same time reducing the cost of our healthcare services. Responsible, affordable healthcare reform must increase coverage to more Americans; preserve patient choice; reduce the costs of medical procedures and services; and not add to our federal budget deficit.

“I have spent my years in public service working to improve access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans,” Boyd stated. “I voted to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan three times in the last two years. I brought $17 billion to Florida to improve community health centers, veterans’ outpatient clinics, healthcare workforce training, and health IT initiatives through the federal stimulus package. And I formed the District Healthcare Council in 2005 so our local communities can work together to improve healthcare in North Florida.”

Boyd concluded, “My vote against H.R. 3962, the House’s first attempt at a healthcare bill, is not a vote against responsible reform. Rather, it is a signal that our work in Congress is not yet complete. Reducing the cost of healthcare services must be the focus of any reform package, and I will continue working, as I’ve always done, to fix what’s wrong with our healthcare system, to continue what’s right, and to ensure Americans have access to affordable, quality coverage they need.”


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This is the first mention of HCR that I've seen on his site.

Chickenshit coward waits until the last minute to announce his opposition!

Phone calls to his office are not being answered today! :grr: :mad:

[SteppingRazor]

1. I doubt it was chickenshit cowardice that made him wait per se.

Instead, I imagine he was waiting for permission from the House whip to vote no. Once the Dems were comfortable that they could get to 218, they could let their membership from more-conservative districts know that it's OK to protect yourself and vote no. Happens all the time, on all sorts of bills.