HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE HURTING TEXANS
Next to sky-rocketing gas prices and our illegal immigration crisis, the rising cost of health care is one of the top concerns for Central Texans. There are thousands of Texans who want health insurance but cannot afford it, and thousands of low-income children who are uninsured. Health care costs continue to rise far faster than inflation, causing wages to stagnate and squeezing the budgets of families who already suffer from high gas prices.
Instead of solutions, the Majority in Congress has offered more of what got our health care system to this state in the first place; more lawsuits, more bureaucracy and less choices for patients and their families.
This has to change.
Republicans have rolled out an agenda to reform our health care system. I have always believed that government tends to create more problems than it solves, so let me assure you that this plan is in no way a step toward government-run health care. Instead of forcing Americans into a Washington-run health care program, Republicans have a plan to pass reforms that reduce costs and ensure personal health care decisions are made by patients, their families and their doctors. Here is how we do it.
We will reform the tax code so that all Americans can afford a quality health insurance plan and keep it. By leveling the playing field between those who don’t have employer-provided health insurance and those who do, we will make health coverage more affordable and empower you to keep your own health insurance plan, even if you decide to retire early or change your job. Since World War II, the tax code has favored health insurance provided by employers. Tax incentives to purchase health insurance should apply to any individual who purchases coverage, regardless of whether they obtain coverage at their job or in the individual market.
We will make health insurance more affordable by allowing families to enroll in plans available in other states if those plans better meet their needs. Instead of setting up new bureaucracy, we will empower individuals to make the best choices for themselves and their families when it comes to purchasing health care. We’ll harness the power of the marketplace to allow Americans to compare insurance policies from across the country and pick one that best meets their needs. This will provide every American with better health care choices, and reduce the number of Americans who are unable to find affordable coverage.
We will enhance Americans’ control over their own health care by expanding the availability of tax-free health savings accounts so they can use their own money wisely on health care benefits they need today, save for their future health care needs, and spend more time seeking preventative care.
We will fight to reform frivolous lawsuits that are driving up costs and reducing patient access to care, and reverse the dangerous shortage of physicians in high-risk practices like obstetrics and surgery by reforming our medical liability system.
We will help small business owners afford health insurance for their employees by allowing them to purchase coverage at similar rates as large corporations and government agencies. We will do this by passing legislation to allow businesses to band together through associations and purchase quality health care for workers and their families at a lower cost.
We will require medical bills to be made more transparent and easier to understand in order to increase competition and empower individuals to know they aren’t being overcharged. We will also improve health care quality in America by expanding the use of health information technology and electronic medical records.
We will provide more effective care and more choices for our seniors, improve veterans’ health care through expanded choices and increase the number of low-income children with health insurance in America. We will do this in a manner that puts poor children first, instead of allowing adults and illegal aliens to misuse the program. We will promote and expand research to develop new and innovative technologies that will encourage prevention and ultimately treat and cure diseases and disorders.
House Republicans have a plan to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality, patient-centered health care for every American. We cannot afford to stall any longer on this issue, and it is my hope that Speaker Pelosi will join Republicans and work together for a more stable, more affordable health care system.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Sir:
If you put forth a system in which the medical establishment:
1. Makes more money if their patients stay sick.
2. Makes less money if they are thorough in preventative practice and medicine
then what other means does one have when told they are not covered for procedures they need by their insurer than the court system?
The so-called “frivolous lawsuits” are the only power anyone has against this system if they are told they are not covered. Why is the Congress offering a solution to cut liability for the medical insurer when the insurer already has the power?
Now, I applaud the idea that anyone who chooses to purchases health insurance should get the tax break that is already normally given to employers who offer it, but why not go the extra step and simply cover everyone? If it is truly the goal to have everyone insured, then why don’t we simply insure them? If you, “have always believed that government tends to create more problems than it solves,” then isn’t that a call to change the system?
At the end of the day, I’m sure that the vast majority of Texans wouldn’t have a problem getting the same “Washington-run health care program” that everyone in the Senate and Congress receive.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I am agree with your views regarding health issues, as per me government should take proper action. And should immediately form some norms for health issues.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Making our already bad tax code more complex isn’t the answer. If you want to really reform the tax code, work on repealing the 16th amendment, and replace it with an amendment that protects incomes from being taxed.
The problem with health care costs is government. Medicare and Medicaide are nothing more than vehicles for fraud, abuse and scandal. We must roll back the failed programs started under LBJ, one of this nations worst presidential administrations.
Maybe if you neo-Republicans up there would stop spending so much time trying to make laws repspecting the establishment of a religion, securing dirty little earmarks, and gettin’ them homos, you could work on eliminating the income tax.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
If we have more people receiving the health care coverage that would allow for more preventative health care and regular doctor visits, and early diagnosis of major diseases, we would lower the costs for their health care. And if we have lower health care costs, we would have more people who could afford that care.
Anthem Blue Cross California
http://www.insuresaver.com
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
The Federal Government subsidizing the insurance industry does not make (anything) cheaper - quite to the contrary, the citizen is burdened with the cost of administration of the unallocated re-distribution of his own labor in order to fund the beauracracy and then absorbs the increase in the cost of business to provide services, products, and food via increased employment/insurance costs.
I don’t understand how the Goverment is going “to allow” (anything). Who is denied purchasing insurance by anyone? This statement is a logical fallicy as an argument for any proposal. Government does not “empower” anyone, quite to the contrary - the only power Government has is to restrict one’s freedom’s, unless of course the people mandate that that existing government limitations upon his freedom are removed.
Where can I find this plan and examine it? None of this makes sense and there is no substance to it, as it is above described.
September 5th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Purchasing pharmaceuticals from other developed, reputable countries should be readily available to the government, patients, and pharmacies, in order to keep the competition high and the costs down.
Painter