WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today voted against a partisan and costly health care reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee after several good faith attempts to improve the bill with amendments to preserve Medicare, keep the government out of the doctor- patient relationship and protect the taxpayer were rejected on party-line votes. The bill was approved by Committee with a vote of 14-9.

 “Make no mistake,” Roberts said, “this bill will be rewritten by the majority in conference, behind closed doors. In this proposal, many Americans will lose the coverage they have now, Medicare will be cut by $500 billion, and new taxes will be levied to pay for a bill that will actually restrict access to care, leave 25 million uninsured and do nothing to address the rising costs of care. This is not reform.”

 The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that the bill will cost $1.8 trillion when fully implemented. Other estimates say insurance premiums could increase by $1500 for single coverage and $4000 for families over the next ten years.

 Senator Roberts offered the following amendments in Committee which were all blocked by party line votes:

 • to prevent health care reform from being paid for on the backs of seniors, by blocking cuts to Medicare;
 • to protect the doctor/patient relationship by prohibiting the government from using Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) as a cost cutting tool, limiting patients options for care;
 • to ensure individuals and families can keep their current health care benefits by preserving the value of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and other supplemental benefits such as vision and dental coverage;
 • to preserve the ability of the taxpayer to claim reimbursement for the cost of over-the-counter medicine through a health FSA and other supplemental plans.

 Senator Roberts is a member of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.