U.S. Congressman John Boozman 3rd District of Arkansas

Health Care

During the twenty-six years that I practiced optometry in Rogers, I saw incredible changes in the health care field.  Today's medicines and treatments have given people a longer lease on life and for that we should be grateful.

However, these changes have come with a price.  Recent trends in the health care industry show a staggering increase in cost, both to the provider and the recipient, that threaten our health care infrastructure.  This is especially true in rural areas, where access to quality health care services are limited.

In recent years, we have taken steps in the House of Representatives to try to address this crisis. We passed legislation that would limit medical malpractice abuse; upgrade our rural healthcare infrastructure; allow small businesses to pool together and purchase affordable insurance plans for their employees; and to promote the use of tax-free health savings accounts. We have prohibited massive cuts to Medicare reimbursements for physicians and worked to implement a new Medicare prescription drug plan that is helping more seniors than ever before. Lastly, we have placed a large focus on promoting medical research, disease awareness, and preventative medicine.
 
Nevertheless, we still have more work to do. We must not lose sight of the fact that many of our poorest families have no health care coverage, seniors are still struggling to find doctors who will treat Medicare patients, and that a number of diseases, like diabetes and cancer, are still running rampant.
 
My background as both a small business owner and a health care provider gives me a good perspective from which to work with my colleagues in Congress to lower the costs of quality health care for all Americans. We are committed to making this a top priority in the 111th Congress and it is my hope that the Senate will join us in making these much needed reforms to our healthcare system.

Health Care Debate

Read the legislation:

H.R. 3962 - Affordable Health Care for America Act
H.R. 3961 - Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009

I believe all Americans need access to quality, affordable health care. However, I am concerned that we are being forced into a government takeover of our health care system, something I am very much opposed to. This 'one-size-fits-all' experiment by the White House won't give hardworking Americans the peace of mind that we deserve when seeking medical treatment.

We need to preserve the doctor-patient relationship. This allows patients to make choices that suit their individual requirements not Washington bureaucrats. Politicians making decisions about our health care needs is a prescription for disaster. Instead of taking away health care choices, we need to be offering more opportunities to patients. We need patient-centered health care that allows them to get the treatments and the care they need, when they need it. The President’s prescription will deny patients treatments and make them wait to get the treatments they are allowed to receive.

We need a plan that reduces health care costs, expands access and increases the quality of care. Unfortunately, the 1,018 page proposal supported by the President does not achieve those goals. We need to work together to make patient care the top priority in our reform. Despite claims this reform will reduce health care costs, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Elmendorf told Congress that the proposed reform will only INCREASE future federal spending on health care which will lead to a continued increase in the deficit.

I have been asked by constituents about my health care coverage. Some people say health care coverage offered to Members of Congress and all federal government employees is like the Obama plan. It’s not. The choices are all private insurance providers, creating competition, but there is NO government plan included. The vast majority of government employees are opposed to allowing any government option as part of their health care.

I don’t want the government to tell me what is acceptable and unacceptable about my health care options. I want my doctor to tell me what’s best for my care. I also think that if this government plan is enough for the American public, it’s good enough for Congress. That’s why I cosponsored House Resolution 615, calls on all members of Congress who vote for a public health care option to relinquish their entitlement to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and enroll in the public plan.

I believe that health care reform needs to include tort reform, something H.R. 3200 and H.R. 3962 fail to address. Our physicians, faced with possible lawsuits issue tests on patients that may be unneeded just to make sure they are covering all their bases to rule out serious health care concerns on a routine visit. This is driving up the cost of health care. 

There are commonsense reforms that make health care more affordable, reduce the number of uninsured Americans and increases the quality of care at a price our country can afford -while making sure Americans who like their health care coverage can keep it. Read the plan.


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Congressional Research Service Reports:

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is part of the legislative branch of the federal government. CRS, which is a department of the Library of Congress, works exclusively as a nonpartisan analytical, research, and reference arm for Congress.

CRS Reports are in PDF format. In order to view these files, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. You can download the free reader from Adobe's website. These files may be rather large and may take a few minutes to download. 

Health Savings Accounts: Overview of Rules for 2009

Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts

Health Care Spending: Context and Policy