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Four commonsense alternatives to Obamacare

By: Congressman Paul Broun (Diary)  |  June 9th, 2010 at 09:55 AM  | 

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On Tuesday, President Barack Obama continued to sell his government takeover of health care to seniors. Despite the Administration’s PR gimmicks, more Americans continue to reject the product, price and process of Obamacare. Since he signed the bill into law on March 23, Americans have seen what “change” looks like, and it is not a healthy picture.

Americans are disappointed that Obamacare will increase health care spending, increase taxes on small businesses, kill jobs, and eliminate Medicare Advantage coverage for millions of senior citizens. Throughout the health care debate, Americans across the nation held shared goals to increase accessibility and affordability. Rather than throw money at the problem, we need to implement reforms that truly lower costs without placing a financial burden on future generations.

Americans want access to their doctors and treatments with less interference from insurance companies, special interests and, of course, Washington bureaucrats. They want the doctor-patient relationship protected. And for those uninsured or with pre-existing conditions, compassionate calls prevail for an affordable approach to help those who truly need coverage.

After much discussion with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I have introduced a bill, H.R. 5421, that repeals Obamacare and replaces it with four commonsense solutions that both Democrats and Republicans can support. Rather than ramming through a 2,700 page unconstitutional, unpopular, and unaffordable piece of legislation, I propose implementing the following incremental changes that the majority of Americans support:

  1. Allow individuals to deduct 100 percent of their health care expenses, including insurance;
  2. Strengthen and expand new avenues for affordable health care for sick Americans through high-risk pools;
  3. Expand choice and competition by allowing consumers to shop for health insurance across state lines;
  4. And create association health plans, which would allow businesses, individuals and any entity to form pools that will increase availability and allow their sheer size to negotiate lower costs for their employees or members.

I understand that these four common-sense proposals do not make up a complete solution to our nation’s health care problems. However, they are a strong foundation for a bipartisan health care reform package that will start to address the inequities inherent in the health care financing system in our country, while still allowing for additional reforms in the future to advance the health care sector.

There is a better way to improve the best health care system in the world without sacrificing our freedom and expanding the authority of the federal government. It is time to repeal Obamacare and replace it with these four sensible reforms.

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  • travelguy

    I think point 1 would read better as:

    Allow individuals to deduct 100 percent of their health care expenses, including payments to insurance companies for individual policies;

    • johnt

      This shapes up as a viable issue for the 2010 elections, make the most of it.

  • cwilson

    especially for point #2. Here in FL, we supposedly created a new high-risk pool for homeowners’ insurance after the 2004 hurricanes. As the insurer of last resort, Citizens’ Insurance premiums are mandated by law to be higher than those offered by other carriers for equivalent property.

    The unintended consequence was that the other insurers simply stopped *offering* insurance, and canceling existing policies, for high-, moderate- and even some low- risk properties, retaining only those “guaranteed profit” properties that really don’t need insurance at all — except that mortgage laws require it. This has left Citizens as the largest insurer in the state. Worse, in the event of another 2004 hurricane season, Citizens is backed by the taxpayer…

    I fear any “high risk” pool for health insurance will soon become the government-backed Microsoft of the insurance market: universal ObamaCare in all but name.

    • jenniferjmilleresq

      Constitutional (i.e. not overlimiting individuals right to sue for damages) malpractice coverege/tort reform should be in there too. I wish there was some effective way to encourage a cash-based healthcare system for everything but the most expensive health care needs (long hospital stays, etc.). I know that companies Innervision that compete with hospitals for CT scans and MRI’s ($300 compared to $2,000 in my county for some of the scans, for example). Maybe less limit on the free speech rights of these companies to advertise prices would help the market forces. I haven’t looked at the Supreme Court’s opinions on that, but we need to treat health care a little more like the industry that it is in order to reduce prices.

    • Raven

      No Government backed “High Risk” insurance

  • RedBeard

    …there are still problems with some of those proposals, based upon the constitutional limits of federal government authority. Yes, before you say anything, I know that Congress will never seriously consider retracting its grasp of powers taken but never constitutionally granted, but this is an issue that needs to be aired.

    1. Allowing individuals to deduct 100 percent of their health care expenses is a tantalizing thing, but it brings to the front the fact that the federal tax code is already a shambles, and needs to be completely revamped. In addition, such a tax credit is simply largesse from taxpayers via the federal treasury. Dog chasing its tail.

    2. The high risk pools are really another way to spread the wealth around. If government wishes to do such a thing, it should be considered at the state level.

    3. Allowing consumers to shop for health insurance across state lines is one idea long overdue, and clearly within the constitutional authority of the federal government to regulate interstate commerce. No argument here at all.

    4. Creating association health plans should be a state issue as well, but one that must rely on point #3 above to make it a reality.

    So yes, I am what might be considered obsessive about the constitutional aspects here. The realist in me sees no congressional hope for returning to a full observance of the 10th Amendment and the original intent of the Founders, but I cannot let the issue drop. Some day, somehow, we must address it, or lose this republic via the continued erosion caused by deliberate monkeywrenchers like Barack Obama and his congressional allies.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    IMO, this is the FIRST item of business.

    Oh, I forgot, my bad. You said you were offering something that both Republicans and Democrats could get on board with. And there is no such thing as a Democrat who is not in bed with the ambulance chasers. So I can see where that’s a no sale.

    Otherwise, it’s a nice start, Congressman. I salute you, and your proposal.

  • Raven

    Tell the Dems to piss off. They had their shot and no one is happy with it.

    Put forward something the American People can get on board with.
    Every time Republicans try to buy Dem votes in Congress, we get useless and even harmful legislation. Give us something Good for once. Stand by your principles and don’t bargain.