Articles
UPDATE: Information About the Majority's Health Care Bill
Washington,
November 3, 2009
Tags:
Health Care Reform
Our health care system is in serious need of reform. But as we consider health care reform in the Congress we must first do no harm. According to a 2006 ABCNews-USAToday-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 88% of Americans rated their health care coverage as excellent or good. While nearly half were concerned about the cost of health insurance.
That is why I believe two of the most important steps we should take as we consider health care legislation are: (1) let every American keep their current coverage if they want to keep it and (2) help Americans address the costs of health care coverage that push them into the ranks of the uninsured. Health care expenses burden employees and employers and our focus should be to address this growing concern. We must enact solutions to address the problem of the uninsured, including the chronically uninsured, those with pre-existing conditions, and those who find themselves uninsured for only a part of the year. Part of the solution is making it easier for individuals and small businesses to form larger purchasing pools in order to get the same level of savings that large employers currently receive. I believe there are many steps we can and should take that solve this issue without turning over more of the health care system to the government. The government has a poor track record of running programs which are financially strapped and unsustainable. I am working with my colleagues in the Congress to develop solutions that make medical coverage affordable and portable. Among the provisions that we should consider are: • Enacting tax credits and tax deductions; • Expanding Health Savings Accounts; • Enhancing larger risk purchasing pools for small businesses and individuals through Association Health Plans; • Providing health care consumers incentives to be wise consumers and chose healthy lifestyles; and • Increased competition among health plans and providers. Understanding the Majority’s New Health Care Reform Bill (H.R. 3692) |