WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-1) sent a letter to President Obama accepting his invitation to go over health bill with him line-by-line. During the health care press conference today, Robert Gibbs, Press Secretary for President Obama, was asked by a Washington Times reporter if Obama was speaking literally about going over the health care bill “line by line” with concerned representatives, since one member from Tennessee sent a letter accepting Obama's invitation. U... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – According to Roll Call, a Washington publication, a health deal has been reached in the U.S. House of Representatives among Democrats. However, no vote will take place until after the District work period in September when Congress reconvenes. U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-1) released the following statement in response to this decision: “While this so-called deal makes a bad bill somewhat better, it’s still a flawed approach to reforming health care in our country,” said ... Read more

Tennessee was home to a failed attempt at universal single payer care, and has lessons to teach a President who has promised that in pursuing his goal of universal health care, he will learn from the policy failures of the past. In 1994 Tennessee implemented managed care in its Medicaid program, creating a system known as TennCare. The objective was to use the anticipated savings from Medicaid to fund and expand coverage for children and the uninsured. The result was a program that nearly bankru... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing regarding several incidents at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Philadelphia, in which patient safety was compromised during prostate cancer treatments. Investigations into substandard treatments revealed lack of oversight and systemic problems in the Philadelphia VA’s brachytherapy program. Brachytherapy is the medical insertion of a number of tiny radioactive seeds into the prostate... Read more

The health care debate is heating up in Congress over whether government-run health care should be part of “reform,” and the public is increasingly saying they don’t want this. Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee held a marathon markup session on health care overhaul legislation – lasting for nearly 24 hours – and narrowly passing by a 26-to-22 vote. As a member of the Committee, I anatomized this legislation, concluding that this bill will be bad for economy and will erode the qu... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-1) made the following opening statement at the House Education & Labor hearing regarding the Democratic health care legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week: "Mister Chairman, when I first started thinking about running for Congress two and a half years ago, I was energized by the opportunity to come to Washington and work to reform health care. Most people I’ve seen over the years as a physician like the quality o... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Dr. Phil Roe (TN-1) participated in a press conference to explain how the current draft of the House healthcare reform bill will result in publicly funded abortions and a mandate that would force private insurers to cover abortion. Under the proposed legislation, virtually every individual will be required to have health care coverage that meets “minimum benefits standards” established by the administration. Those minimum benefits will include abortion unless Congres... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-1) offered an amendment during the House Education and Labor Full Committee markup intended for the health care legislation introduced by Majority Democrats this week. Roe’s amendment was the fifth one offered in the hearing. Enclosed is the statement Roe made in the markup session regarding his amendment that would strike a government-run health care plan: "Thank you Mr. Chairman. My amendment today is beautiful in its simplicity. It s... Read more

This week, Congressional committees have begun the debate over health care reform. It’s one of the most important debates in my lifetime. Unfortunately, the Democratic majority has insisted on pushing for the creation of what they call a “public insurance option.” As a Tennessee physician who experienced first-hand the disastrous result of a similar previous experiment with a public option, I thought it might be helpful to explain why many are so strongly opposed to the idea. The case Democrats ... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – The Congressional Rural Health Care Task Force, which U.S. Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (TN-1) co-chairs, met with leaders of the health care community to discuss the importance of medical imaging and access to quality health care throughout rural America. The bipartisan Task Force convened a discussion panel that included Roe, Congressman Parker Griffith (D-AL) patient advocates, and representatives of the Lung Cancer Alliance, the Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Research (F... Read more