Washington D.C. - U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, today voted against a bill that would increase Washington deficit spending by $210 billion to reimburse doctors for Medicare treatments without budget offsets.

“The federal debt and deficit continue to grow at astronomical rates, yet the House leadership continues to rapidly borrow and spend,” Hoekstra said. “Washington cannot continue its current unsustainable spending rates and pass legislation without the money to pay for it.”

The so-called “Doc Fix” (H.R. 3961) was originally included in the $1.3 trillion health care overhaul, but was stripped as costs grew. The Congressional Budget Office also predicts that through the Democrat bill seniors’ Medicare Part B premiums would increase by $50 billion.

Hoekstra supported an amendment that would allow for two years of payment increases to occur at the same rate as in the underlying bill as long as spending stays within a $22.3 billion limit, which is the same amount that currently exists under the Secretary of Health and Human Services “Medicare Improvement Fund.”

“Doctors should be adequately reimbursed for their work, but Congress can accomplish it through fiscally responsible measures,” Hoekstra said. “Problems can be solved without continuing to force current and future taxpayers to bear the brunt of it.”