Curtis Coleman 2010

(LITTLE ROCK, AR – 21 DECEMBER 2009) In the wake of Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s midnight vote to move the Senate version of healthcare legislation to final passage later this week, conservative Republican businessman and U.S. Senate candidate Curtis Coleman accused Lincoln of “grievous dereliction of her duty”.

“This bill represents the most sweeping erosion of personal liberty in our country in my lifetime,” Coleman said. “This legislation throws open the door for the bureaucratic takeover of our most personal healthcare decisions. Sen. Lincoln callously ignored the clear wishes of her constituents and voted for an unprecedented federal mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance. She also voted to require Arkansans to pay for unfunded increased Medicaid costs in Arkansas and Nebraska. Her vote can be described as nothing less than a grievous dereliction of her duty to the people of Arkansas.

“Sen. Lincoln has accused those who have opposed this atrocious legislation – which includes most Arkansans – of being ‘un-American’ and ‘of spreading scary but untrue rumors about the effect the bill would have.’ If Sen. Lincoln has no concerns about how the American people will feel about this bill, she could have simply voted against the motion to proceed which would have given the people an opportunity to read and study the bill for themselves. It’s very clear that Sen. Lincoln and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) are very concerned about how the American people will react to this horrific bill, which is why they are determined to get it passed before legislators go home for the Christmas break. She even ignored and violated her own pledge for ‘legislative text and complete budget costs from the Congressional Budget Office to be posted on a public website at least 72 hours prior to the first vote to proceed to health reform legislation.’

“Make no mistake about it. This bill demands sharp cuts in Medicare benefits, and sharp increases in taxes and health insurance premiums. It will be a monstrous addition to the national debt and has no other possible ultimate outcome than government-rationed healthcare. If there’s anything truly historic about this bill, it is that it represents the government’s intrusion into the personal lives of Americans in historic proportions.

“The goal of improving healthcare for all Americans can be achieved without the government’s ill-fated takeover of our healthcare system. The simple fact is that we can make healthcare more accessible by making healthcare more affordable. But we’ve got too many people making the rules who’ve never played in the game.

We can make healthcare more affordable and more accessible with simple but very effective steps, including these:

1. Eliminate the costs of unnecessary ‘defensive’ medical tests and procedures by making frivolous and unjustified lawsuits more difficult.
2. Help Americans become healthcare “value shoppers” by expanding health savings accounts.
3. Lower premiums by making health insurance more competitive by allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines.
4. Increase benefits for home healthcare and managed care which have as their objective letting Americans avoid long and expensive stays in hospitals – ultimately dramatically lowering the costs of healthcare.
5. Eliminate the fears of losing one’s healthcare or of not having pre-existing conditions covered by allowing employees to own their policies, with premiums reimbursed by employers with pre-tax dollars.
6. Make private individual health insurance premiums tax deductible.

“Sen. Lincoln will have a couple more opportunities to do the job the people of Arkansas elected her to do with regard to this legislation. So far, it appears Sen. Lincoln is much more concerned about pleasing her party than the people of Arkansas. The people want this stopped. We must continue to fight until the last vote.”

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