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Congressman Geoff Davis : Serving Kentucky's Fourth District

Health Care

Health Care

***Latest News: House Republicans Introduce Legislation to Repeal Government Takeover of Health Care and Replace with Solutions that Lower Costs

Overview

The American health care system needs major reform.  As Congress works on health reform legislation, we must look at ways to seriously address the following issues: cost, access, insurance reform, choice, focus on wellness and reform of government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.  As a father of six and a former small business owner, this issue is a priority.

Unfortunately, many in Congress believe more government control is the answer and are advocating a government-run health insurance plan as part of any reform bill.  It is instructive to examine how government-sponsored health insurance has fared in other countries.  For example, in Canada, the average patient waits seventeen weeks for a specialty consultation.  In Britain, 800,000 individuals are currently waiting for hospital care.  In addition, government-run health care substitutes the judgment of bean-counting bureaucrats for the doctor-patient relationship. 

Reform of our health care system should put patients and their health first.  American families and small businesses should have the right to chose the health care plan that will fit their needs.  Personal health care decisions must remain between the doctor and the patient- not left in the hands of politicians and special interest groups.

A “one size fits all” government-run health care system will not provide the American people with timely access to the quality health care that they deserve.  Republicans and Democrats alike want to make quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American.  However, as usual the devil is in the details. 

According to a poll conducted by National Public Radio, Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health, 92% of Americans who have health insurance felt that their existing health care plans met their needs, so they should be allowed to keep it.  But for those who are uninsured or looking for a different type of coverage, we must enact measures to make this easier and more affordable.

In previous Congresses, I have supported a number of proposals that would help remedy our health care crisis by putting incentives and cost-saving measures into place to enable the marketplace to function at its best through competition and choices for consumers.  Some of these proposals include Association Health Plans to allow small businesses to negotiate health benefits at a more affordable rate, Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to help individuals pay for health care expenses, and tax credits for those who purchase their own health insurance policy.

Health reform will never be successful or sustainable unless we include tort reform to end frivolous lawsuits, one of the primary factors that contribute to spiraling health care costs.  Abuses of our legal system increase physicians’ liability insurance rates, increase costs for consumers and drive qualified individuals out of the profession or out of Kentucky.  As an example, in recent years, Kentucky has lost twenty-five percent of its obstetricians, mainly due to the high insurance rates to practice in the Commonwealth.

House Republican Health Care Ideas


House Republicans have been working to craft health care policy that will help families,  small businesses, the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions obtain affordable access to quality health care.  For months, House Republicans have been listening to the American people, talking to doctors and patients, collecting input, and studying and debating ideas. This process has resulted in the broad outline of a health care reform plan that the solutions group hopes will receive bipartisan support.  The commonsense plan is designed to ensure all Americans have access to affordable, high-quality patient-centered health care at a price our country can afford.

The House Republicans support a health care reform plan that would:
  • Make quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American, regardless of pre-existing health conditions. 
  • Protect Americans from being forced into a new government-run health care plan that would: a) eliminate the health care coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently receive through their job; b) limit your choice of doctors and medical treatment options; and c) result in the federal government taking control of your health care.
  • Let Americans who like their health care coverage keep it, and give all Americans the freedom to choose the health plan that best meets their needs. 
  • Ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. 
  • Improve Americans’ lives through effective prevention, wellness, and disease management programs, while developing new treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases.

Click here to learn more about the House Republican health care ideas.

House Committee on Ways and Means


As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, I have been working hard with my colleagues to develop proactive solutions to America’s health care crisis.  The House Committee on Ways and Means has held several hearings on the issue of health care reform.  To learn more, you can also check out the Ways and Means health care page by clicking here.

On July 16th, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a markup of Speaker Pelosi's  health care legislation, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200).  The legislation passed in Committee on Ways & Means by a vote of 23 to 18. The 1018-page America’s Affordable Health Choices Act was introduced by Congressman John Dingell (D-MI) on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, allowing members of the Ways and Means Committee less than forty-eight hours to review the bill and prepare amendments for the markup.  The bill was referred to the House Committees on Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor.  The Ways & Means Committee markup began at 9 a.m. on July 16th. 

Although committee markups are supposed to give members a bipartisan forum to improve and amend the legislation, Democrats rejected more than thirty amendments offered by Republican members of the Ways & Means Committee.  I spoke in support of several of these amendments.  You can watch video of the debate on these amendments by selecting the links below.

During a hearing on May 6th, I had the opportunity to talk with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, about the importance of including flexibility for creative low-cost health care options in any potential health care reform measures.  Watch the video by clicking here. 

Please check back often for more updates and new information.  You can also subscribe to the Fourth District’s weekly e-mail newsletter  for updates.

The decisions Congress makes on health care reform will affect each and every American for years to come.  Please let me know your thoughts on this issue by emailing  or calling me at (859) 426-0080.