Martha's Blog
Making Health Care More Affordable, Portable and AccessibleFor nearly six weeks, we’ve watched as Americans have gathered together to let their elected officials know their feelings about the health care reform legislation making its way through Congress.We’ve seen it here in Alabama, and what I consistently hear in my travels around the district is that Alabamians are overwhelmingly opposed to the Democrats’ plan to reform America’s health care system. While there is no doubt reforms are needed to bring down the cost of health care and increase access for the uninsured, rushing through a proposal that ultimately destroys the best health care delivery system in the world is the wrong approach. Now, Congress is back in session, and unfortunately, we heard the President tell us during a joint session of Congress that he and the Democrats in Congress will continue to push their plan and ignore the wishes of the American people. The Democrats bill: • Removes the patient from controlling decisions regarding their health care. • Forces individuals from private insurance to government coverage. • Mandates what type of care individual and government care plans must include. • Raises taxes and saddles my children with trillions of dollars worth of debt that they will never pay off. I strongly oppose the Democrats’ proposal because it is bad policy. It is easy to express to you that I would vote against the proposed legislation, but we should require our representative in Congress to provide solutions. Alabamians deserve that type of leadership in Washington. As your Congressman, I’ll provide strong leadership, which is required to get this country back on track. In Congress, I’ll wholeheartedly reject the failed policies of the past because there is a better way. A better way is empowering people and the private sector, not government, and includes principles to make health care more affordable, portable and accessible. First, we should allow Americans to purchase health care plans across state lines, much like life insurance plans. This will increase competition among insurance companies and competition always brings down costs and creates a much better deal for the consumer. Americans should also be allowed to choose the type of care they want and end the government mandates that require specific care. If consumers can choose the exact type of coverage that fits their lifestyle, the power of choice is returned to the individual policyholder. Congress needs to reform the tax code so that individuals who purchase their own insurance receive the same tax credit employers receive for providing health insurance to their employees. Secondly, making health care portable, much like your own 401k, will keep families covered. Americans shouldn’t lose their health care coverage just because they change jobs and move to another part of the country. Policyholders should have the option to keep their plan with them. Could you imagine if you lost your retirement benefits because of a career change or relocation? Any goal of reforming health care must involve finding ways to get people who are unable to afford insurance and get them insured. Creating high-risk pools and Associated Health Plans will provide access to those who can’t afford insurance and join with others in order to bring down costs. Any health care reforms should also end pre-existing conditions exclusions that have stopped so many Americans from getting insurance. Health care reform should not sacrifice quality, stifle innovation from the private sector or interfere with our choice of doctor, treatment or where we want our care to occur. Finally, any legislation must include medical liability tort reform. The Democrats have purposely ignored medical liability tort reform, but if we are serious about bringing down the cost, such reform must be included. We can achieve reforms that keep us in control of our health care – not an unaccountable bureaucrat in Washington. We can maintain the important personal and private relationship that we now have with our doctors – not a relationship with a faceless bureaucrat in Washington. And we can increase access through free-market reforms – not by raising taxes and spending trillions of taxpayer dollars. I believe in the American spirit, American ingenuity and good old fashion American know-how. I know we will make health care more affordable, portable and accessible if we empower the private sector. We’ve done just that for the past 233 years. But first, we’ve got to recognize that government isn’t the solution, that government is the problem. Congress needs to listen to the American people, scrap this legislation and stop attempts to force us into a government-run system disguised as health care reform. I know there is a better way. |
