WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, today sent a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman asking for a hearing on the latest Democratic health care bill, H.R. 3962 to give members and the public an opportunity to understand the legislation and its implications. 

Barton asked Waxman to include both Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf as witnesses. In September, Sebelius had offered to return to the committee and testify when the final legislation became publicly available for examination and discussion.

“As you know, H.R. 3200 included a government-run health care plan where physicians were to be reimbursed at Medicare’s rate plus 5 percent,” Barton wrote. “The new legislation, H.R. 3962, creates a government-run health plan where the Secretary of HHS would be permitted to negotiate rates with providers. However, it seems clear from the legislative language of H.R. 3962 that doctors could, and most likely would, be paid a base rate at Medicare levels and the HHS Secretary would be authorized to pay providers less than the Medicare rate.”

For a copy of the letter, click here.