The people adamantly asked Congress not to sprint to the finish line passing national health care reform that doesn’t meet their needs, but which only contributes trillions more to the national debt and becomes just another poorly run government program. Thankfully, members of Congress have returned home without national health care reform. Americans justifiably want specific answers from Congress. Many people are now frustrated with the Obama administration that once vowed to be open and listen to all suggestions. The White House is now turning a deaf ear by claiming conservative “operatives” are staging protests. Mr. President and Democratic members of Congress, there’s no reason to stage anything with the government-controlled health care reforms you are attempting to pass. Please remember these are your constituents and you should listen to them.
Conservatives are listening to health care professionals, to health care providers, and most importantly to the people. We know that Americans don’t want some government bureaucrat choosing what’s best for them. In fact, for years many of us have worked to bring fundamental changes to health care. We are working to create a more patient-centered system that is prevention focused, affordable, portable and rewards people for making healthy choices. Patient-centered health care offers greater accessibility to doctors of your choice, lower costs and more personally tailored insurance plans.
We live in a mobile society where Americans no longer keep the same job for 30 years. People need portable insurance which they personally own and keep as they move between jobs. This change alone would almost completely eliminate the pre-existing condition concept which is attributable for about 30 percent of the uninsured. In 2007, we introduced legislation in Georgia to allow people to shop across state lines to buy health insurance for their families. This should be allowed today, especially within our mobile society.
Why create another massive government health plan when existing government run programs, such a Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care and VA Health and SCHIP, consistently reveal their inefficiencies, sky-rocketing costs, fraud and poorer health outcomes? This is not surprising for huge programs with little accountability and no mechanism to determine neither value nor rewards for saving money. These challenges are all but eliminated in patient-centered health care.
People should be able to control their own money, especially in health care because they make better choices. Statistics show that when people buy health insurance on their own they look for the best value in the policies they buy, wherever they purchase it. Insurance plans that provide economic incentives to encourage personal responsibility and healthy choices typically save people money, are usually more affordable and often result in healthier people. The validity of this principle was shown in the Journal of the American Medical Association study, which found that people with patient-centered health care plans such as low premium Health Savings Accounts (HSA) eligible plans have 10 percent fewer emergency room visits and 25 percent fewer repeat visits for non-severe conditions.
Conservatives are offering real solutions. In 2008, the Georgia legislature enacted my Affordable Health Insurance Act giving state tax breaks to individuals, businesses, and insurers who buy and sell low premium HSA health plans. The bill’s purpose was to give Georgians a patient-centered solution. Small businesses (50 or fewer employees) are now incentivized with an annual $250 tax credit per employee when they offer insurance to their small business employees enrolling in an HSA eligible plan. For individual insurance buyers, Georgia gives a special income tax deduction for the premium spent for HSA eligible health plans. Millions of Georgians in over 575,000 small companies can now save millions of dollars which enables many more working families to afford health insurance. In addition, all Georgians can now purchase health insurance with “before tax dollars,” making insurance coverage more affordable. When Georgians stay healthy, the law also allows health insurance companies to partially refund insurance premiums to incentivize healthy choices. In Georgia, health care is becoming more affordable and more accessible for everyone. Since 50 to 60 percent of all health care costs are driven by behavior, why not provide incentives for healthier lifestyles?
Many believe that the states hold the key to real health care reform. Georgia’s Affordable Health Insurance Act was adopted as a model national health care reform bill in 2008 and has now been introduced or passed in several states. This year the Freedom of Choice Act constitutional amendment has been introduced in seven states as a state attempt to preserve patient rights to make their own decisions about health coverage. My Health Care Choice Act for States, which was introduced by 10 states this session, allows patients to purchase affordable health coverage across state lines.
There are numerous conservative free market successes in states across America because they provide accessible, quality health care at affordable prices. If state and national leaders learn from these successes and after listening to the people continue to institute real solutions for health care reforms, then we can lead America out of our health care crisis into a more affordable, accessible system that saves money and saves lives.
Sen. Judson Hill serves as Chairman of Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, the Republican Caucus Vice Chairman and the Chairman of the Georgia Senate Health care Reform Committee. He represents the 32nd Senate District which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0150 or by e-mail at judson.hill@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
August 18, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
raegan.weber@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028