KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (SUBMITTED/WVLT) -- Several Tennessee lawmakers have released statements regarding the passage of health care reform in the House.

U.S Senator Bob Corker, (R)-Tennessee made the following statement Sunday.

“Tonight’s vote is disappointing, and its cost will hit our state and future generations very hard,” said Corker. “On Friday, Governor Bredesen let me know this bill will cost Tennessee an estimated $1.1 billion in Medicaid expansion over five years – a huge unfunded mandate that creates a very difficult situation for our state.

“Beyond that, I think what bothers me most about the bill are its disingenuous accounting mechanisms. It’s insulting to the American people. First, the bill applies 10 years of new taxes to finance six years of spending, resulting in huge deficits over the next decades. Second, even President Obama’s own Medicare officials have determined that Medicare savings are counted TWICE in the bill, hiding the legislation’s true cost. This comes down to elementary school logic; you can’t spend the same dollar twice. And finally, almost as soon as the ink dries on this legislation, a new bill will come forth to deal with all or part of what is called the ‘doc fix’ to ensure that physicians who treat Medicare recipients do not receive a 21 percent cut. The cost of that over 10 years is more than $200 billion, proving that Americans have not been dealt with squarely on the true accounting associated with this bill.”

Meanwhile, State Representative Zach Wamp, (R) Tennesseee, voted against the legislation as well and issued the following statement.

“This is a defining moment in the history of our country. At no time has the federal legislature mandated that the American people buy anything. If this is enacted into law, everyone in this country has to buy health insurance under the force of law. This is not right. It is an unconstitutional effort in my view, and an extraordinary government takeover of one-sixth of our economy. We need to stand against it with everything that we have.

“As a Tennessean, I’m gravely concerned about what this will do to our state. It will force hundreds of thousands of people onto TennCare, our state’s Medicaid program. It is a multi-billion dollar mandate on Tennessee and we do not have the money to pay for it. We will not raise taxes, we will not have a state income tax and we will not go into debt because of this mandate. That’s why Tennessee’s Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen has called it the ‘mother of all unfunded mandates.’ If it’s enacted into law, I’m going to help lead the repeal effort. Based on our state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment, we have to stand against this federal government mandate on the states.

“The health care system needs to be improved, but this bill is not the way to go. We should work incrementally on measures that will lower costs, increase access to more affordable care and give citizens more control over their health care decisions without a takeover by the federal government. The right kind of reform would offer access to coverage for all Americans, improve the health care delivery system, hold health insurance companies more accountable, rein in out of control costs and provide responsible medical liability reform.”

Lastly, Senator Lamar Alexander, (R) Tennessee, released this statemetnt.

“This is an historic mistake. And unlike Social Security, Medicare and civil rights legislation, the only thing bipartisan about it is the opposition to it.

“The mistake is to expand a health care delivery system that is already too expensive instead of reducing its cost so more Americans can afford health insurance.

“This taxes job creators in the middle of a recession. It means Medicare cuts and premium increases for millions of Americans. When you include the cost of paying doctors who serve Medicare patients, it will increase the national debt.

“It will force governors to cut higher education funding, and raise taxes and tuition to pay for new Medicaid costs. In Tennessee, the governor says the cost will be $1.1 billion or more over five years.

“And the last-minute Washington takeover of the student loan program will add a half trillion more to the debt and overcharge 19 million student loans to help pay for health care.”