Healthcare reform, the recession, rising stars in the GOP and the need for bipartisanship were just a few of the subjects Congressman Peter Roskam (R-6th District) discussed during this visit to Schaumburg Township Republican Headquarters on Saturday, June 6.

First elected in 2006, Roskam was recently recognized by The Hill as the “most up-and-coming member of Congress.”   Also, as a testament to his rising influence, he was appointed to the powerful Ways and Means Committee earlier this year. 

Here are some highlights from Roskam’s comments to the 60 people who attended the event:

Healthcare -- “Healthcare is something that will happen because nobody wants to defend the status quo,” he said.  “Our current system is irrational.”

To explain the often-quoted figure of 45 million uninsured Americans, Roskam said  20 percent of those people don’t realize they are covered by Medicare, another 20 percent decline to accept their employers’ insurance plans and another 20 percent are illegal immigrants.  Any changes in the system should focus on the remaining 15 million Americans, without reducing the benefits enjoyed by 80 percent of citizens.  Instead of advocating a complete overhaul, Roskam said he wants to find a way to fix the flaws in the current system, which is working for most Americans.   He indicated that the “public option” proposal put forth by the Democrats, is merely a stepping stone to a socialist system.

“The political left has learned the language of incrementalism,” he said, “and the idea of a public option is a great deception. “

The Democrats’ idea is to take away the public’s healthcare options a little bit at a time, so that taxpayers have time to adjust, he said.  Currently, 45 percent of Americans are covered by government medical programs he said.  As soon as the percentage increases to 51 percent the battle is lost.

The economy --Regarding the stimulus program, Roskam indicated that only 4 percent of the $760 billion package was targeted toward infrastructure improvements.  He predicts the spending spree will continue unabated, because the current imbalance in Congress means there are no checks in place.

GOP rising stars -- Asked about the prospects for change, he named several young GOP congressmen who are building names for themselves, including:

• Eric Cantor, Virginia
• Kevin McCarthy, California
• Jim Jordan, Ohio
• Mary Fallin, Oklahoma
• Dean Heller from Nevada

Bipartisanship – “The Democrats’ idea of bipartisanship is that we vote for their proposals,” Roskam said.