Virginia congressmen on health care

By JR Hoeft | Friday, March 6th, 2009 | Policy

Yesterday, the president held a health care forum that has been widely reported, but what do our own congressmen think about the issue?

From Rep. Eric Cantor:

“Make no mistake: Republicans want to work with the President to modernize America’s health care system and reduce waste while ensuring that patients have access to high quality, affordable care. However, the devil is always in the details and we hope that the path to achieving this goal does not start and end in the basement of Health and Human Services or some new government agency.

“Instead any new proposals should focus on helping the single mother who is driving to an office building in Richmond and worrying about her family’s financial situation, her job security and their health care coverage. We must ensure she can choose any doctor she wants and that that doctor is free to decide which treatment options are best for her family without some government board second guessing the decision. It also means preserving access to that care even if she changes or loses her job.

From Rep. Randy Forbes:

“Stories of poor care under government-run systems show us that the answer is not to dramatically shift our system away from a patient-centered system. Yet, just last week a number of concerning health provisions that will put our country on the path towards government-run health care were included in the $790 billion economic stimulus package. Among those provisions was the expansion of a National Coordinator of Health Information Technology whose responsibility will be to monitor doctors’ actions to ensure they are doing what the federal government decides is appropriate for health treatments. Although health provisions like this one were tucked away in the over-1000 page bill, they make a very blatant move at shifting patient-doctor decisions to bureaucrats in Washington.

“Our goal must be to seek a balance, by providing even higher quality health care at an overall lower cost. We need to protect that individual right, while expanding access to care for seniors and low-income Americans. There are a few ways Congress can do this.

“We need to increase choices for health insurance. We can do this by allowing families to purchase insurance across state lines, to carry their insurance with them regardless of change in employment or a decision by an employer, and to opt to use Health Savings Accounts. These initiatives rely on competition and individual responsibility – not government mandates and more bureaucracy – to achieve reform. Programs like Association Health Plans allow businesses to join together to offer health insurance at a much lower cost to their workers. Repairing and strengthening the health care marketplace is the best way to both preserve quality and lower costs in our health system.

“We also need to bring our health care system into the 21st century through the use of technology. Out-of-control medical malpractice lawsuits have prompted physicians to order billions of dollars in unneeded tests, straining our health care system and limiting the number of quality physicians to patients. Investing in virtual hands-on training for medical professionals and electronic charting for patients has been proven to reduce medical errors and could reduce health care costs up to $17 billion a year in the U.S. I have introduced a bill, the Enhancing SIMULATION Act (H.R. 855), which would prioritize these commonsense technology efforts in our medical system, creating an important step forward in modernizing our current health care system.”

And from Rep. Bob Goodlatte:

“I believe that any successful reform will include several key components such as health insurance tax credits for individuals and families. We must also allow individuals the option to purchase health care across state lines, helping create a national market for health insurance by having consumers, not bureaucrats, find the coverage which best suits their needs.

“Medical liability reform should also be a part of any health care overhaul. Discouraging the practice of defensive medicine, the ordering of unnecessary tests and procedures, will save billions of dollars.

“Another important piece of any health care reform package is the creation of Association Health Plans, known as AHPs. AHPs are an effective mechanism to extend coverage among the working uninsured by reducing the barriers that small employers currently face in providing coverage for their employees. AHPs are intended to increase incentives for employers to band together to purchase insurance coverage at lower rates for their employees. The way to revitalize our struggling American economy is by ensuring the stability of America’s small businesses and reducing the burden of increasing health care costs is a big part of that.

“Additionally, real health care reform must also encourage the establishment of a nationwide health information technology network, including electronic medical records and e-prescriptions. Health information technology can reduce medical errors, save time, money and most importantly, save lives.

“The most important principles in health care reform are holding down costs and preserving consumer choices. We already spend far more per person than any other country in the world. Reform must mean using the health care dollars we now spend in a smarter, more effective way. Most important of all we should be preserving and enhancing the ability of people to choose the plans that are tailored to their needs and the doctors that they trust to guide them.”

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