Skyrocketing costs have crept into our health care system, creating a lot of uncertainty about the future of health care for employers, working Americans, and the uninsured. Americans need more, not fewer, choices for something as important and personal as health care.
Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have worked with my colleagues to improve patient access to health care services and strengthen the quality of medical care. Americans are concerned with cost, choice, quality and access of health care and Congress should work to address these concerns. Any legislation considered should attempt to make our health care system more accountable and accessible to patients.
Health Care Reform Update:
Here is the text of the Democrats' 1,018-page bill to takeover health care
July 14, 2009 Smith: Dem’s Health Care Plan is a Placebo
Bureaucratic Nightmare of Dem Government-Run Health Care Health Care Reform Should Put Patients and Doctors, Not Bureaucrats, First
GOP Health Care Solutions Group
Responsible Health Care Reform Pledge
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Multi-Industry Letter on Health Care Reform
Fact Check: President's Health Care Claims Don't Reflect Reality
Congressman Smith's Health Care Priorities:
The Administration wants a Washington-centered plan, while I support patient-centered reforms.
The Administration’s plan will drastically cut Medicare coverage for seniors, while I support seniors keeping the same coverage they currently have.
The Administration’s plan will increase our national deficit by adding trillions in new spending, while I support a proposal that will lower costs and allow employers to continue to offer health insurance.
The Administration’s plan puts health care in the hands of the government, telling individuals the type of treatment they can receive and the doctors they can see, while I support a proposal that ensures that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors and not government bureaucrats.
The Administration’s plan drastically raises taxes on the working middle class and businesses by imposing a per capita tax on all health insurance policies (the first-ever tax on health care benefits) and a 2.5 percent tax on individuals who do not have employer-provided insurance or do not purchase through government-run exchange, while I support protecting the working middle class and small business from increased taxes.
The plan we support extends tax savings to those who currently do not have employer-provided insurance and allows states, small businesses, associations, and other organizations to band together and offer health insurance at lower cost.
The Administration’s plan will force many individuals off their current coverage and will drastically increase the cost of coverage, while I are support letting Americans who like their health care coverage keep it.
The Administration’s plan for a government takeover of health care will raise taxes, ration care, extend wait times, and let government bureaucrats make decisions that should be made by families and their doctors, while I support a health care alternative that will reduce costs, expand access, and let Americans who like their plans keep them – all without excessive taxes. Raising taxes by trillions of dollars to pay for new entitlements will not help control health care costs or the rapidly rising federal spending and debt.
The Administration is trying to expedite health care reform legislation through Congress; however, I believe legislation as important as health care reform should not be rushed through the process, it needs to be slowed down and addressed thoroughly so that it can have the best outcome for everyone involved. |