Time after time, the people who followed the rules are being left behind by Washington. And as the health debate comes into clearer view, I’m afraid Democrats may propose that we do health care reform in the same way. With more and more details becoming available, it is evident that the forthcoming plan from Democratic leaders will make health care more expensive, limit treatments and ration care, and put bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions rather than patients and doctors. More than 100 million Americans could be forced out of their current health care plan and onto the government rolls. It amounts to a government takeover of health care, and the middle class will get a raw deal once again.
Republicans believe there’s a better way, and we’re proposing better solutions on health care to show that we’re serious about it. Led by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), our Health Care Reform Solutions Group, which consists of broad cross-section of our House Republican Conference – from doctors to businessmen – is crafting a plan that will make health care more accessible and affordable without giving middle-class families and small businesses the short end of the stick.
Our alternative will expand access to affordable, quality care regardless of pre-existing conditions. It will protect Americans from being forced into a government-run plan, making certain that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not Washington bureaucrats. It will let Americans who like their health care coverage keep it, while giving all Americans the freedom to choose the plan that best meets their needs. And it will promote effective prevention, wellness, and disease management programs, while developing new treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases. In other words, our plan will guarantee that Americans continue to receive the best care available anywhere in the world, and unlike the Democrats’ plan, it won’t raise taxes on families and small businesses to make it happen.
As this debate heats up with the summer temperatures, I hope Democrats take a long, hard look at the true impact of the policy decisions they’ve made this year. In nearly every case, the middle class has taken it on the chin – and yes, in the pocketbook. Health care is too essential an issue to let it happen again. Middle-class Americans deserve our best effort to achieve the best health care reforms that meet their needs.