My fellow voters,
We have heard Congress throw around ideas about how to fix the American health care system. They have offered bills dealing with a "public option" and now a "co-op" option, but I support neither of these plans.
Let me begin by saying that everyone should be able to buy healthcare insurance that is cost effective and provides excellent coverage. We should be able to find a way to cover the "uninsurable", but we MUST NOT blow up the best health care system in the world. We must get government out of this debate! We know that the governments track record on Medicare, Medicaid, Cash for Clunkers, the Stimulus and Social Security has been one of abject failure. If you were a business owner, would you let someone run your business who failed (went bankrupt) every time they tried to run a program? Why then, would we let the government run our health care? Here are my solutions for fixing health care in America:
First, the government should not force people to buy health insurance if they don't want it. It is NOT an issue of interstate commerce, it is simply unconstitutional and a gross overreach of government power. This being said, if people choose NOT to have health insurance, then they will be forced to pay for their medical care out of their own pocket...not out of the pockets of the American tax payers.
Second, we must ELIMINATE any and all illegal aliens from obtaining this government run healthcare. We should primarily focus on insuring LEGAL American citizens instead of saturating the system with those who break the law to enter this country.
Third, I support a TAX FREE health savings account...without ANY government interference or regulation.
Fourth, we MUST give tax breaks or tax incentives to private companies who offer affordable insurance to all who want it. Free market competition is the way to keep cost down, but we should incentivize companies to make health insurance affordable.
Fifth, we must not penalize small businesses for not insuring their workers or else we risk making these businesses go bankrupt.
Sixth, we must allow for portability of insurance plans. In other words, if someone has insurance in Tennessee but needs access to medical care OUTSIDE of the state, then they should be allowed to be covered under their plan, regardless of where they are located.
Seventh, we MUST have TORT reform. We must protect our doctors (and our patients as well) from frivolous lawsuits which significantly drive up the cost of health care. We can no longer pander to special interest groups, trial lawyers in this case, if we truly want to fix the problem of health care.
Eighth, we should incentivize and reward insurers who DROP their "pre-existing conditions" rules. We must make this fair to both the consumer and the insurance company.
Ninth, the American tax payer must not be forced to pay for government funded abortions and/or end of life counseling for patients.
Finally, I would mandate that the Congress be forced to accept the same health care that they are forcing on the American people. There will be no allowing our politicians to "opt out" of the current health care bill that they are trying to pass.
My friends, please understand that I will oppose any bill that encourages government involvement in our health care system. We need to reform our health care, but we must not allow the government to interfere in the American free market system.
Thank you for reading and God Bless you!
