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WASHINGTON, D.C. - As Congress gets back to work in Washington after the August district work period, it is clear what’s going to dominate the agenda: health care reform.
Over the last several weeks, I was able to hold nine “Congress on Your Corner” public events across East Alabama to hear what was on your mind regarding the health care debate and the general direction our country seems to be heading.
As Congress begins to pick up where it left off, I stand ready to work across the aisle for meaningful health care reform. But like many folks across East Alabama, I remain strongly opposed to any legislation that includes the “public option.”
My concern is, essentially, the public option translates over time into government-run health care that private health insurance companies just can’t compete with.
This week, I held a tele-town hall and asked if folks supported the public option. Only 18 percent support it while 82 percent oppose it.
In addressing health care reform, I believe Congress should keep what’s working and fix what’s broken. There are some prudent reforms that should be made.
After talking with doctors over August, they all seem frustrated with the current system for reimbursement by insurance companies. I would like to see Congress implement a standard code that insurance companies use to take out the confusion.
And as patients go to the doctor or hospital, doctors sometimes run unneeded, expensive tests to keep from being sued. Medical liability, or tort reform, is needed for this reason and would also help keep associated costs down.
With insurance getting more expensive, your options in getting coverage are to get a costly individual plan or go through your employer. With high unemployment, more folks are losing their jobs and their health benefits every day. Allowing groups we are associated with, like business groups, clubs or churches, to create group plans would spread the risk pool and would allow folks to get coverage that way. In addition, this would help make coverage more portable for folks as their lives change.
I’d also like to see insurance companies that reach national and state insurance standards be able to offer insurance across state lines to help drive down insurance costs.
These ideas are good starting points for a reasonable discussion in Congress. House Democratic leaders should take the government-run plan off the table, so we can have a meaningful debate on real health care reform.
President Obama, in his Joint Session of Congress speech, seems committed to pushing for the public option, but did not say that he would veto a bill without it. I hope he’s more willing to work across the aisle than the House Democrats.
On the eighth anniversary of September 11th, I hope all of us across East Alabama will keep those families that lost brave loved ones that day in our prayers. We will never forget.
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