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GOP: Health reforms burden states

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. states would be unfairly burdened by Democratic Party healthcare reform measures being considered by Congress, a Republican senator says.

While acknowledging healthcare reforms are needed, Sen. George LeMieux of Florida, delivering the GOP response to President Barack Obama's weekly radio and Internet address, said the pace of the debate must slow and the plight of states be taken into account.

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"We in the Congress have a duty to tackle this problem, but the solution we settle upon should not be rushed, and the solution should not be worse than the problem we are trying to solve," he said, asserting "nearly $500 billion" would be "taken out of Medicare funding for seniors," which would require "our states to shoulder billions more in healthcare costs, which they can ill-afford to do.

"The Democrat-sponsored proposal in the Senate cuts nearly $135 billion from Medicare Advantage, over $150 billion from hospitals that care for seniors, more than $51 billion from home health agencies and hospices, and nearly $70 billion in additional cuts or fee increases." LeMieux said.

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