U.S. CONGRESSMAN BILL JOHNSON Proudly Representing Eastern and Southeastern Ohio

Health Care

I oppose the President's healthcare law that was forced on the American people, and I will continue to support efforts to repeal it and replace it with patient-centered solutions that put patients and doctors in charge of health care decisions – NOT the Federal government. 

I have voted 33 times to repeal allnor parts of this disastrous law that is already causing costs to surge, doctors to limit patients, and over $700 billion in cuts to Medicare.  Over 40 percent of America's small businesses are saying this law is preventing them from expanding their businesses and hiring more employees. It should be replaced with common sense, patient-centered solutions like: forcing insurance companies to compete for your business by making health insurance portable from state to state and job to job; lower healthcare costs by increasing incentives for Americans to contribute pre-tax dollars to health savings accounts that can be used pay for routine healthcare at a much lower cost than purchasing a massive healthcare policy; and, tort reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits and keep doctors in the treatment rooms rather than in the court rooms. I also think parents should have the option of keeping children on their insurance until the age of 26, given that in President Obama's economy approximately 50 percent of new college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. In addition, insurance companies should not be able to deny someone coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, in any replacement bill, we must guarantee the promise of Medicare so America’s seniors (those 55 years of age and older) continue to receive their fully funded Medicare benefits, we must strengthen and preserve Medicare for future generations, and we must restore the over $700 billion in cuts that President Obama and the Democrats made to Medicare.

These common sense solutions will lift the veil of uncertainty from small businesses so they can hire and expand, reduce the cost of health care with increased competition, increase the quality of health care with innovation, put Americans in charge of their health care decisions rather than unelected and unaccountable government bureaucrats, and protect America’s seniors.  I am willing to work with anyone who comes to the table to reform America’s health care system with such common sense solutions, because Americans deserve a federal government that works FOR them rather than taking more FROM them.