Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Far From Being the Party of No, the Republicans Have Always Proposed a Number of (Common-Sense) Health Care Solutions

Far from being the Party of No, Republicans have had a long history of proposing common-sense, free-market solutions to issues such as health care reform.

(1: make lawsuits for medical malpractice less common — something not accepted by the party of trial lawyers;
2: introduce more competition to the marketplace — something not accepted by the party of bureaucrats.)

Now the Republican Study Committee (RSC) comes out, guns blazing, and proposes an American Health Care Reform Act, which includes these and other solutions:
  • Fully repeals President Obama's health care law, eliminating billions in taxes and thousands of pages of unworkable regulations and mandates that are driving up health care costs. 

  • Spurs competition to lower health care costs by allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines and enabling small businesses to pool together and get the same buying power as large corporations.

  • Reforms medical malpractice laws in a commonsense way that limits trial lawyer fees and non-economic damages while maintaining strong protections for patients.

  • Provides tax reform that allows families and individuals to deduct health care costs, just like companies, leveling the playing field and providing all Americans with a standard deduction for health insurance.

  • Expands access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), increasing the amount of pre-tax dollars individuals can deposit into portable savings accounts to be used for health care expenses.

  • Safeguards individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against purchasing health insurance by bolstering state-based high risk pools and extending HIPAA guaranteed availability protections.

  • Protects the unborn by ensuring no federal funding of abortions.