Congressman Boehner and House Republicans have crafted a 219-page common-sense alternative (read the text of the bill here) to Speaker Pelosi’s 2,032 page government takeover of health care. The Republican alternative will lower costs for families and small businesses, expand coverage, and promote healthy lifestyles – without raising taxes or adding to the debt. Here’s how:
> > ENDING JUNK LAWSUITS: The New York Times reports that the GOP alternative will “limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits” and limit the defensive medicine that drives up costs on everyone.
> > COVERING AMERICANS WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. Under the GOP bill, all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illness, will have access to affordable health care. By contrast with the Pelosi plan, the GOP bill achieves this goal in a manner that lowers health care premiums for American families rather than raising them.
> > ALLOWING SMALL BUSINESSES TO POOL TOGETHER: The New York Times says the Republican bill will “allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance” – the same way large corporations and labor unions do.
> > ALLOW AMERICANS TO BUY INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES: AP reports that the GOP alternative “allows health insurance to be sold across state lines,” thereby letting Americans shop around for the coverage that best suits them.
> > ENCOURAGING STATE INNOVATION: The New York Times says the Republican bill gives states the tools they need to “reduce the cost of health insurance or the proportion of their residents who are uninsured.”
> > NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION: AP reports that the GOP bill “includes a permanent ban on any federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother.”
> > PREVENTING INSURERS FROM UNJUSTLY CANCELLING POLICIES: The New York Times says Republicans “prohibit insurers from canceling or rescinding coverage after a person became sick unless the person had intentionally concealed ‘material facts’ about a medical condition.”
> > PROMOTING SAVING FOR LONG-TERM NEEDS: The Hill reports that the GOP plan “bolsters health savings accounts (HSAs)” by providing incentives for Americans to save and use HSAs to pay premiums.
> > ALLOWING EMPLOYERS TO REWARD WORKERS FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLES: The Boston Globe reports that the Republican bill gives “employers greater flexibility to financially reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.”
As Boehner told Politico, the GOP bill “aims at driving down costs” because “if you drive down costs, you can expand access.” But because the Republican alternative supported by Boehner is focused on lowering costs, there are several things it does NOT do:
- The GOP plan does NOT cut Medicare. Speaker Pelosi’s bill cuts more than $500 bill from Medicare over the next 10 years.
- The GOP plan does NOT impose mandates on employers. Speaker Pelosi’s bill forces private employers to pay a new tax equal to 8 percent of their payroll if they don’t – or can’t – provide “government approved” health coverage – a plan that will destroy millions of jobs.
- The GOP plan does NOT force seniors out of their current coverage. Roughly 3 million seniors – including thousands here in the 8th District – will be forced out of their current Medicare Advantage program because of cuts in Speaker Pelosi’s bill.
- The GOP plan does NOT impose unfunded mandates on states. Speaker Pelosi’s bill would impose nearly $1 billion in unfunded mandates on Ohio alone, which has prompted Republicans across Ohio to urge Governor Strickland to oppose her reckless bill.
- The GOP plan does NOT increase premiums on Americans. Speaker Pelosi’s bill raises premiums paid by seniors enrolled in both Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D.
Boehner wrote an op-ed for the Miami Herald in which he flat out admitted that “Republicans have a much better plan.” He says “the American people have made it crystal clear to Washington that what they want out of healthcare reform is a plan focused on reducing costs, not growing government” – and that’s exactly what Republicans are offering.
READ MORE:
- Boehner Outlines “Four Smart, Fiscally Responsible” Health Care Reforms (10/31/09)
- Boehner on Republican Solutions to Lower Health Care Costs (10/30/09)
- Ohio Leaders Call on Strickland to Oppose Washington Health Care Takeover (10/29/09)
- Boehner: “1,990 Pages of Bureaucracy” (10/29/09)
- Democrats Ready Rollout of Health Care Takeover As Constitutional Questions Linger (10/28/09)
Jo, how exactly have politicians “been defeated?” Politicians won the day. Now they run your health care – your life – from beginning to end. That sounds like a pretty big win to me. You’re right, they don’t produce food, shelter, clothing, or anything useful… so why praise God that they now run your life?
I work 16 hours a day, every single day producing food and clothing for my family. My husband is blind and we have 2 young children. I don’t work for money outside my home because my work at home can not be replaced. We grow most of our own food. I make clothes and shoes. My husband and my kids get Medicade but I have nothing. Dentists within driving distance won’t see my kids because they are on Medicade and they can’t talk correctly because of tooth deformities. The new law will mean that they will get dental care. Because of a malfunction of my digestive system, I’m supposed to have a B12 shot every month. The shot costs about $12 from a pharmacy but it’s a prescription item. To get a prescription, I would have to pay a doctor AT LEAST $125. The new law will mean that I can now get the shot at a much lower total price.
So Jordan, Praise God that the needs of my family and I will be met. Because John Boehner and the Republicans certainly were doing their best to prevent that from happening.
By the way, how much has it cost the American tax payers for all this to keep going over the past year rather than taking 6 months to analyze and implement one of the programs ALREADY in use, ALREADY proven SUPERIOR to America’s current system? There are MORE than 20 nations with BETTER health care delivery systems than America.
I think the GOP bill is a bill the people would welcome. It istoo bad pelosi, reid,and obama wouldn`t work with You.
The country will be so much better off when You are Speaker.
This government run health care is aboout control. The government answers to NO ONE!! So we the
American people have no recourse when our health care gets ugly in the future. It is TOTALly
unconstitutional! What about Congress – they have their own “Cadillac – gold plated health care package”
which we, the American citizens are buying for them! Have you thought about that?! The government
forgets that we actually are acquainted with people in Canada and European countries (for me it is the
Netherlands where I know people) and we DO talk to them about their health care experiences -
most of which are disasters! We need t wake up and be on guard.
When the government takes money forcefully through taxation and GIVES it to others, that is called REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH. This philosphy has never succeeded anywhere that it has been tried and it won’t be successful here.The democrats have run amok and destroyed our Constitution and the integrity of lawmaking process. They’ve grown too big and too powerful. It is time to vote them out and put control back in the hands of capable, good Americans.I think we all have a heart for people who endure tough situations and experience poverty. The reason there are so many charities that help millions of people around the world is that Americans are the most generous people on earth, with enormous hearts. We want to help people. We don’t want the governernment to take our hard earned dollars and spend them recklessly, or on things we fundamentally disagree with. We don’t want this intrusion in our lives and businesses.
I want our health care system modeled after the system currently in use by Singapore which is considered among the top 5 systems in the world and has a much higher approval rating than the US, a lower infant mortality rating than the US and a longer average lifespan than the US.
Singapore is the model to follow.
Right on as usual. Hoyt
John,
Your plan has both sides. A side of compassion and a side of fiscal responsibility. Healthcare is going to take a beating with the Presidents plan. Unfortunately due to demographics being old and sick in America today is a terrible place to be. Really insurers and definitely beaurocrats are really looking for when they can stop treating and start letting you die. I believe these decisions have to be left up to the individual and their families. I think us Republican could put a compassionate face on the healtcare debate by focusing attention to what is and what is going to happen to the healthcare of our seniors. I have no interest in balacing the budget by cutting healthcare to our seniors. I think most of the country feels this way. People want to cut medicare cost and that’s great if we can make it more efficient. However, not so good if it means one nurse for thirty patients in the nursing home. I have even heard of ratios higher then that. There is not a whole lot of money in taking care of Seniors. There is not a whole lot of wasted money in healtcare period. Doctors don’t make that much money when you figure in their education and the amount they actually work. Tort reform is important. Lets have compassion on the Seniors, we owe it to them. They are citizens to.
Boehner For president …. he knows what we want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boehner and Palin or Boehner and Huckabee for President.. They Know What We Need In This Country..