What Changed?

Last November, Suzanne Kosmas voted against the health care reform bill because she believed that the bill before the House was fiscally irresponsible.

Here is the explanation in her own words:

Health care reform is, at its core, an economic issue, and addressing rising costs was always one of my highest priorities. Last year’s bill simply did not do enough to rein in costs or to reduce the federal deficit.

On March 19th she declared tha she would change her vote to Yes because:

“We now have a bill that, while not perfect, represents the change needed to put the economy and our health care system on a sustainable and positive path – a bill that includes numerous ideas from both Republicans and Democrats.

“It was my commitment to families and businesses in Florida’s 24th District to be a voice for fiscally responsible, common-sense solutions and positive change for our children and their children. This bill represents those priorities, and that is why I will vote yes.”

Now she says:

As I have considered health insurance reform, a critical priority in my decision-making has been that reform must be fiscally sound. Unlike the original health care bill before the House, the reform bill that I supported is fiscally responsible and takes critical steps to rein in health care costs that are overwhelming our economy. This reform represents the single largest deficit reduction effort in over a decade, reducing the deficit by over $140 billion in the first 10 years and $1.3 trillion in the decade to follow.

Apparently, the only thing that changed was her opinion. She voted No the first time, and Yes the second time – to essentially the same bill. I guess now when she runs for re-election in the fall she can claim ” I voted against it before I voted for it.”

I hope she is happy with her vote, because come November she will be unemployed.

Kosmas to Vote Yes

Suzanne Kosmas announced on Friday that she will change her vote from No to Yes on ObamaCare. Although, she expressed reservations about the bill earlier this year saying it was “fiscally irresponsible” she intends to vote for it now. Here is her explanation in her own words:

Last November, I voted against health care reform because I did not believe the bill before the House was fiscally responsible. Health care reform is, at its core, an economic issue, and addressing rising costs was always one of my highest priorities. Last year’s bill simply did not do enough to rein in costs or to reduce the federal deficit.

“The bill before us now represents the single largest deficit reduction in over a decade, saving nearly $140 billion in the first 10 years and over $1.2 trillion in the decade to follow. This legislation provides truly fiscally responsible reform, and it contains the strongest measures ever enacted to help eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the system, to rein in skyrocketing health care costs, and to stabilize Medicare while preserving benefits.

“Families and individuals can keep what they have and can continue choosing their doctors. Small businesses get $40 billion in tax credits to provide care and can join together in exchanges that offer affordable choices. And reform will close the donut hole in Medicare prescription drug coverage while improving benefits for our seniors and stabilizing the system over the long haul.

“This health care reform bill also holds insurance companies accountable by preventing them from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, by making sure they can’t take away your coverage if you get sick, and by eliminating the arbitrary caps on coverage that send many families into bankruptcy.

“We now have a bill that, while not perfect, represents the change needed to put the economy and our health care system on a sustainable and positive path – a bill that includes numerous ideas from both Republicans and Democrats.

“It was my commitment to families and businesses in Florida’s 24th District to be a voice for fiscally responsible, common-sense solutions and positive change for our children and their children. This bill represents those priorities, and that is why I will vote yes.”