Friday, September 18, 2009
Congressman Kline and Republican Health Care Reform
Tonight, Congressman John Kline held a town hall meeting on health care at Lakeville South High School. This post will list reforms proposed by Republicans that address the issues behind the health care discussions:
1 - All Americans, even those with pre-existing conditions, should be able to get health insurance. In 2006, a law was passed that would pool high-risk people, in other words, sharing the costs. This pooling does not have to be a government option.
2 - Provide the option for parents to carry their children up to age 25 on parental policies. This would eliminate over 7,000,000 of the currently uninsured Americans.
3 - Provide some kind of reimbursement for people who practice and maintain good health.
4 - Allow a deduction for private purchase of health insurance independently.
5 - Merge small businesses so they can buy insurance as a large purchaser. Let these business owners deduct their insurance costs from their taxes.
6 - Institute tort/medical malpractice insurance reform.
When asked what it will take for Republicans to sign off on a health care reform bill, Congressman Kline who had all the bills on a table on the stage, dropped the thickest one on the floor.
In summary, Congress simply needs to start over, with a clean sheet of paper. There are problems but there also are solutions. Nitpicking flaws in one or the other bills on the table now is not productive. There can be a solution but either the president, an outside committee, or a real bipartisan panel needs to do the work, beginning with a blank sheet. Only then, will we be able to do something.
Boiling the ocean is not the answer (my opinion).
Cross posted at Look True North and mncd2republicans.
1 - All Americans, even those with pre-existing conditions, should be able to get health insurance. In 2006, a law was passed that would pool high-risk people, in other words, sharing the costs. This pooling does not have to be a government option.
2 - Provide the option for parents to carry their children up to age 25 on parental policies. This would eliminate over 7,000,000 of the currently uninsured Americans.
3 - Provide some kind of reimbursement for people who practice and maintain good health.
4 - Allow a deduction for private purchase of health insurance independently.
5 - Merge small businesses so they can buy insurance as a large purchaser. Let these business owners deduct their insurance costs from their taxes.
6 - Institute tort/medical malpractice insurance reform.
When asked what it will take for Republicans to sign off on a health care reform bill, Congressman Kline who had all the bills on a table on the stage, dropped the thickest one on the floor.
In summary, Congress simply needs to start over, with a clean sheet of paper. There are problems but there also are solutions. Nitpicking flaws in one or the other bills on the table now is not productive. There can be a solution but either the president, an outside committee, or a real bipartisan panel needs to do the work, beginning with a blank sheet. Only then, will we be able to do something.
Boiling the ocean is not the answer (my opinion).
Cross posted at Look True North and mncd2republicans.
Labels: health care, John Kline
