Lowering Health Care Costs without a Government Takeover

After holding 17 live and telephone town hall meetings, and consulting with dozens of patient, doctor, hospital and employer representatives, Congressman Kirk introduced the Medical Rights and Reform Act, H.R. 3970.  Among its provisions, this centrist reform alternative would:

• Adopt the Medical Rights Act (H.R. 2516), prohibiting the government from interfering with decisions made by you and your doctor;

• Cut billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse;

• End defensive medicine by enacting lawsuit reform and expanding electronic medical records;

• Allow Americans to buy cheaper and more flexible health insurance from any state in the nation;

• Give individuals who buy their own insurance the same tax break employers receive;

• Promote innovative state programs to insure high-risk pools and end pre-existing conditions; and

• Not raise taxes, add to the deficit or cut Medicare.

During consideration of the Speaker’s trillion-dollar government health care bill, Congressman Kirk offered two amendments: the Medical Rights Act and an amendment to protect young Americans from a new requirement to pay more for their health insurance.  Speaker Pelosi rejected both amendments.

In the teeth of the Great Recession, the Pelosi bill would impose 10 new taxes totaling over $700 billion. The top combined tax rate of Illinois would be four percentage points higher than France.

The bill cuts health care for seniors with $500 billion in cuts for Medicare doctors, hospitals and Advantage patients.  The bill even cuts Medicare for skilled nursing, wheelchairs and hospices.

The Speaker’s bill establishes a new trillion-dollar entitlement as our national debt tops $12 trillion. Ignoring the future needs of Social Security and Medicare, the bill creates a new massive spending program, supported by heavy taxes and cuts to senior health care.