As published in the North County Times – August 9, 2009

By Congressman Darrell Issa

Between the rising cost of heath care and the expanding role of government, Americans are frustrated. Economists predict that we will be spending 20 percent of our gross domestic product on health care by 2017. Now the president wants Congress to approve a scheme that effectively repeals Medicare and puts the treatment of seniors in the hands of a “federal health board” with absolute authority to approve procedures and cut payments for essential quality-of-life care.

But we can find a bipartisan, workable solution that guarantees access for all Americans to dependable and affordable health care, maximizes the freedom to choose their own doctors, and protects their family coverage during seasons of unemployment.

Every American should have access to the private health insurance benefits that members of Congress have. By opening the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, Congress could make available just 14 competitively priced nationwide plans and more than 310 state plans. Rather than creating a form of nationalized, publicly managed health care, access to the selection of private plans that members of Congress receive would safeguard patient choice and keep Washington bureaucrats out of the examination room.

Similarly, plans for affordable prescription drugs for all Americans can be accomplished without committing federal dollars to subsidize the costs.

Currently, cash-paying customers are charged a higher price for prescription drugs than insured customers. Different prices for the same drug sold to different people ends up unfairly punishing the poor. Prescription drug reform would provide an incentive for cash transactions and reduce costs associated with credit card fees, check fees and billing that drive up the cost of health insurance.

And that’s not the only place where cost cuts are possible. The price tag of medical malpractice insurance, for instance, is skyrocketing, and doctors pass the charges along to patients in hidden fees. Runaway litigation costs and inflated malpractice awards are feeding a trend of defensive medicine where doctors and hospitals are often forced to perform unnecessary, expensive tests and procedures to avoid frivolous lawsuits. Addressing our health care crisis will therefore require sweeping tort reform that stops trial lawyers from poaching their profits in hospitals and doctor’s offices.

If every patient clearly understood the costs associated with defensive medicine and malpractice insurance, health care reform would be a much simpler task. That’s why Congress must protect the right for people to make educated choices and, if desired, to consult with health care providers to reduce costs in exchange for liability limitations and targeted treatment. The widespread savings that such reform promises for every American would be dramatic and immediate.

Finally, the current economic crisis has awakened America to the harsh truth about unemployment and health insurance. For workers facing record layoffs, the difficult decision between paying for their family’s health coverage or other basic needs is a present reality. As a key component of reform, unemployment insurance should cover the health care of displaced workers while they search for new jobs.

The Democrats’ plan, a 1,018-page bill titled “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,” won’t hold back the growth of government or protect our basic health care rights. In his administration’s first six months alone, President Obama has proposed 33 new entitlement programs, 53 new federal bureaucracies and $1.28 trillion in deficit spending to address our health crisis.

Americans deserve better, and Congress needs to work on a bipartisan basis to address the health care crisis with dependable, affordable reforms.

Rep. DARRELL ISSA, R-Vista, represents the 49th District, which includes the cities of Oceanside, Vista and Temecula. He serves as the ranking member on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Source: http://www.issaforcongress.com/

Related posts:

1. Pres. Obama wants Elective Surgery on Health Care

Without a doubt, President Obama & Co., including Senator Edward Kennedy, intend to do elective surgery on our health care system and to force national health insurance upon us. This despite the fact that if our health coverage is nationalized, the Canadians will no longer have the benefit of the American health care they have become accustomed to. Why? Because we will soon be in the same boat they are in now; very long waits—up to three years and more for elective surgery and other elective procedures.

Why? How many physicians worth their salt elect to be employed by the U.S. government, if they can help it? The number is minuscule. Actually the number of competent physicians is shrinking daily as it is. That is due in part to government meddling in health care.

The same is true for nurses. It has gotten so bad that we are scouring the earth for nurses. Notice I did not say competent nurses. We will accept a certified—yip; usually they are still requiring that—nurses as long as they are breathing and not so wide that they cannot navigate hospital hallways. (Oh yes, I have seen some in the Philippines that might not be able to pass that test.)

It’s bad enough that we can no longer get enough American nurses, but, while we are getting nurses from other, usually very poor countries, we are taking nurses those countries can ill afford to lose. We are thereby turning America’s problem into a problem for those other countries; countries that cannot afford to put up a diplomatic fight with the American government to keep their nurses; nurses whom they desperately need.

We must stop this socialization of the American economy

There are two things a sensible person can do between now and the next election. One, is pray Obama & Co. don’t succeed in their quest to drive the last nail in the coffin of the best large health care system in the world; and, two, work to unseat all politicians who agree with Obama & Co.’s push to create a socialist system of government in the U.S. A socialist system of government and ruining our health care system will certainly have an adverse affect on your and my pursuit of happiness.

Here’s what Sandy wrote in her post:

Single payer visions

We’re beginning to learn what Senator Edward Kennedy’s secret meetings with key health insurance industry stakeholders have been creating in their vision for universal health coverage.

If you want to keep your health care separate from your job, you will no longer have that choice, according to reports of the plan’s 170-page draft. Employers would be required to provide health care to employees or be penalized. Step #1 to a single-payer government managed national health plan.

(Click here to read the full post.)

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