August 12 – Opposition to a government takeover of health care is growing. While too many Americans are living without access to affordable, quality health care, giving the government control over your health care decisions is a dangerous approach. People in East Tennessee tell me they are afraid of what will happen if the government decides which doctor you can see and which types of treatment you can receive.

Instead of creating a government-run health care plan, real health care reform should focus on lowering the overall cost of health care so that quality care is accessible to all Americans. Those who are satisfied with their health care plan should not be forced to change. 

President Obama has tried to convince Americans that there are only two options: to continue with our current system, or hand our health care over to Washington bureaucrats. The third option, which the people I have spoken with across East Tennessee support, is to lower costs and give Americans more control of their health care decisions.

To build momentum for the right kind of change, I cosponsored the Empowering Patients First Act, H.R. 3400.  This bill is built around four important principles:

•   Access to coverage for all Americans – increases fairness in the tax code by extending a tax deduction for health care premiums to those who do not have employer-provided health care but purchase health insurance on their own; provides assistance to low-income individuals and families through a tax credit of up to $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for families to purchase health insurance; and creates incentives for health insurance companies and states to insure individuals with high-cost medical problems so individuals with “pre-existing conditions” can purchase affordable insurance

•   Coverage is truly owned by patients – increases choice and competition by allowing individuals to purchase health insurance through a membership organization, such as a church or alumni association, or purchase plans across state lines and improves “portability” when people change jobs

•   Improve the health care delivery system – ensures that doctors determine what will and will not be covered under health insurance plans instead of a committee of bureaucrats;  allows employers and health insurance plans to offer discounts for healthy lifestyles

•   Rein in out-of-control costs – reforms our legal system so that doctors will not be forced to run unnecessary tests in the name of “defensive medicine,” or pay skyrocketing costs for medical liability insurance – accounting for billions of dollars spent annually without one dime going towards patient care – and puts reasonable limits on  the amount of money that can be awarded for non-economic damages

Your health care is too important to put in the hands of bureaucrats in Washington. As Congress and the American people continue to debate this issue, I will fight against unnecessary intrusion by the federal government in your health care decisions.