Pelosi says she read the health care bill, Republicans push ideas

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she has read the entire health care bill - now that it has passed in the House. Meanwhile, Republicans pushed their alternative ideas.

Addressing an audience at Harvard University on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered assurances that she had read the entire 1,900-page health care bill. "I've read 3,200 pages," Pelosi said. "We gave 1,000 pages to each of the three committees and then they reported their findings to us." Assigning the task to committees is somewhat different than reading the bill on your own, but the Harvard environment did not look to split hairs. Meanwhile, Hewitt Associates - in partnership with the Business Round Table - released their assessment of the House health care bill, finding a number of differences from those reported by the White House and by House Democrats. Among the findings in the report that have not been mentioned by Democrats: the government-run option could "significantly" drive up costs for workers who have private health plans; more robust medical liability reform is needed to keep costs from increasing; additional taxes on employers will deliver increases in health care costs; and reducing the availability of tax-free flexible spending accounts will "raise costs for individuals." Against this backdrop, Republicans are now presenting their alternative ideas more aggressively. Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) delivered the GOP's weekly address on Saturday and outlined more completely what Republicans are looking to offer. "We can start lowering costs by reigning in lawsuits in America," Kirk said in his video-taped presentation. "In New Jersey, without lawsuit reform, it costs $5,500 per patient to provide insurance. In California, with some of the strongest lawsuit reforms, insurance costs half as much as it does in New Jersey." The GOP is also encouraging a more open market for consumers nationally. "Congress should grant the right of each American to buy coverage from any state in the Union," Kirk said. The differences between Democrats and Republicans remain significant, and the gap between them will likely not deliver the ideal legislation for the American people. "In the teeth of the Great Recession, the Pelosi bill would impose 10 new taxes on the American economy," Kirk concluded. The health care debate is almost certainly making the American voter sick.