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Health Care Reforming our health care system is one of the most important tasks we face as a nation, and a stated priority of the Obama administration. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), spending on health care and related activities will account for about 18 percent of GDP in 2009—an expected total of $2.6 trillion—and under current law that share is projected to reach 20 percent by 2017. These rising costs represent the single greatest challenge to balancing the federal budget. It is critical that we work together across bipartisan lines to reform our entitlement programs and reduce costs while still maintaining quality care. First, it is important to recognize that entitlement programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program represent promises made by the American people to certain segments of our population. In 2007, our federal government spent $700 billion to fulfill those promises, roughly $6,300 per household or $2,333 for every man, woman, and child in our country. Yet, even with these staggering annual outlays, it is estimated that we will still owe an additional $50 trillion dollars over the next 75 years to fulfill these promises, due largely to the explosion in the costs of care and the lengthening American lifespan. It is time that we start caring more about the enormous deficit that we are leaving our children when spending taxpayer dollars. Some in Washington have expressed a desire to centralize healthcare either through a nationalized health insurance scheme, through a national regulatory board, or by creating laws requiring the purchase of certain types of insurance. These individuals believe that more bureaucratic involvement will lead to Americans living longer, healthier lives. Regardless of my objections to the creation of a universal federal insurance program, we simply cannot afford to make more commitments of this magnitude. It would be tragic to again over-promise and under-deliver to American families. Rather than looking first towards the government to provide healthcare, I support several proposals that will leave health care decisions in the hands of doctors and their patients, improve the delivery of care, and allow the freedom of individual choice in their health care options. Healthcare expenses are often distorted by our tax policy, which gives business a tax-break for every dollar that is spent on healthcare and encourages them to offer health insurance as a benefit in lieu of higher salaries for their employees. While there is nothing inherently wrong with employer-sponsored healthcare, the arrangement shields consumers from the true costs of their healthcare decisions. Because a third party ultimately pays the majority of the bill, there is no incentive for consumers to forgo more expensive, but less necessary, treatment options. I support legislation that would provide a tax deduction for all medical expenditures for an individual, a spouse, or dependants. This will level the playing field between individuals and employers, and for most families, allow them to purchase their own, portable health plan that is not tied to a job. As consumers become responsible for their own care and begin to be able to weigh the costs of their healthcare options, entrepreneurs will find new ways to make healthcare affordable for everyone. By empowering individuals and their doctors to make decisions on healthcare, more Americans will be able to access the medical services they need to make measurable improvements to their quality of life. Related Documents:
Press Release
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Conaway Comments on H1N1 Flu Outbreak
4.29.2009
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