Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican, represents Idaho's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Blaine County.
By MIKE SIMPSON
When Congressional Democrats bring their healthcare reform legislation to the House floor, I will be voting "no" and I want to take a few moments to explain why. Everyone agrees that our healthcare system needs to be reformed. Healthcare in America is too expensive and too many Idaho families are worried about losing or have already lost their health coverage. Businesses, small and large alike, are struggling to provide health insurance for their employees, and too many are being forced to ask employees to share the cost of higher premiums and co-payments in response.
Regrettably, rather than working on real reforms to improve access to healthcare for all Americans, Democrats in the House are debating a bill that would raise Americans' taxes, create a massive new tax burden and do little to address the problems in our current health system. Rather, at a cost of more than a trillion dollars, HR 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, will create a government-run healthcare program that will cause millions of Americans to lose their current coverage, place new burdensome requirements on small businesses and individuals, put seniors' access to care at risk by decreasing Medicare reimbursements, and increase taxes on our nation's small business owners, farmers, ranchers and families. I cannot and will not support this legislation.
Instead of creating another absurdly expensive government bureaucracy that would do little to improve our health system, we should be focused on measures that will make quality healthcare more affordable and accessible to everyone, regardless of where they choose to live or what pre-existing condition they may have. The current healthcare debate focuses almost completely on how to reduce the number of uninsured in America. I agree—too many Americans who want health insurance can't afford to pay for the coverage.
However, we are focusing our energy on the wrong problem. As people living in rural Idaho know first-hand, having health insurance does not guarantee access to healthcare. In numerous areas in Idaho, there is not even one full-time practicing physician. Many of us have problems finding a doctor accepting patients, and for those Idahoans who rely on Medicare or Medicaid, finding a doctor who accepts their insurance presents an even greater challenge. I support measures that would allow those Americans who like their coverage to keep it and give all Americans the freedom to choose health plans that best meet their needs.
While the U.S. offers the most advanced medical treatments and newest therapies for illnesses in the world, we are lagging behind in the areas of prevention and early treatment. As a country, we spend significantly more on healthcare in the last six months of life than we do on the first six. Our healthcare system is reaction-based rather than prevention-based.
As a dentist, I have seen first-hand the benefits of prevention and early intervention. Instead of treating a victim of heart attack after it happens, we should be working with patients to lower their risk of heart attack before it happens. We should be focusing more on how to prevent disease or treat it early when it is most cost-effective and the outcomes are best. Unfortunately, the Democrats' health reform bill fails to accomplish these goals.
Instead of moving ahead with HR 3200, which would cost trillions of dollars without doing anything to address the real challenges facing healthcare, we should be working together to find a bipartisan solution that would make healthcare more affordable and improve access to quality care for all Americans.
