We have the finest Health Care system in the world and the current House and Senate bills will not deliver the promises of affordability or cost controls. Instead, it will cut over $500 BILLION out of the Medicare program our Seniors depend on, force millions onto a substandard Medicaid program that will bankrupt the States because of cost sharing, and not insure the claimed “millions” of those without health care coverages.
Our free market system has allowed the innovations in medicine that has extended lives and made for a far better quality of life for every American as well as other citizens of other nations as we freely share those with these countries.
PelosiCare and ReidCare currently being debated will force government directly between you and your doctor. Rationing of services will occur as millions of new patients will be forced on an already understaffed medical community. Americans will be forced to purchase a product that government directly regulates and mandates compliance with or face fines, taxes, or even imprisonment for failure to comply. Never in the history of this nation have there been a greater violation of our rights to make our own decisions been made by Congress. Mike finds no Constitutional authority to create these laws.
Mike agrees we need real reforms in our current health care system, however, not by creating government mandates, government bureaucracies, and the forced reductions of our Medicare system our Seniors depend on for their medical care. By increasing competition of health insurance companies, elimination of fraud from our Medicare system, and moving our Medicaid program into the private sector, we can have real, market based solutions that will work for all Americans.
Mike will work for Tort Reforms that forces our medical community to order unwarranted tests to protect themselves from possible legal actions caused by unlimited awards of punitive damages. This one piece of legislation alone will reduce treatment costs over $500 million annually and reduce health insurance premiums by 20-30% as well as reduce Medicare payments for “lawsuit protection” testing.
Mike will work for favorable tax treatment of individual insurance premium payments for those individuals who choose to purchase their own private plans. Individuals will enjoy the same tax treatment available to group health insurance afforded to businesses.
Mike will work to expand the Health Savings Account (HSA’s) plans for all Americans so that they can use those funds to purchase any plan the individual sees fit for their own needs. Young people can take advantage of these programs and build a reserve they can use as their health care needs increase due to age, marriage, and starting families.
Mike will work to create competition among health insurance companies by allowing the purchase of health insurance across State lines. No longer will 3 or 4 insurance companies be given a near monopoly inside one State because of excessive regulations of the industry.
Mike will work to allow businesses to form health insurance co-ops in which they can have the same purchasing power for group health insurance for their employees that are afforded only the largest of companies. Multiple insurance companies will be willing to compete heavily for this block of business and competition will bring down premiums.
Mike will work to eliminate the $500 million dollar a year fraud in the Medical equipment industry simply because convicted felons can start these companies and bilk millions by fraudulent means. Medicare has no method of detecting this fraud and unless a way to eliminate it is developed, this illegal activity will continue to grow.
Mike believes we must reform the Medicare system so that the unfunded liability of over $64 TRILLION obligations can be met for future needs. Unless this is addressed immediately, this program stands the risk of total collapse as the “baby boomer” generation reaches it peak in the next 20-30 years and using Medicare benefits. Mike believes that using HSA’s can address this issue for future generations and provide health care to those reaching retirement age. Under current provisions of Medicare, the benefit payments will exceed the tax revenues in 2016 and either taxes will have to be increased or benefits drastically reduced. Neither is acceptable to Mike as there are solutions that can solve both problems and not destroy the program with further debt.
