Congressman
Henry E. Brown, Jr.

Why I am opposed to the Democratic Health Care Plan - read why on my blog.

Preserving the Right to Choose is Vital to Health Care Solution - my oped on health care.

See impact of Democrat's Government Health Care Bill on the First District. (pdf)

A Reading Guide to Pelosi's Health "Reform" Bill.

Veterans Organizations Voice Concerns Over National Health Care Proposal.

Brown Finds Taxpayer Subsidized Abortion "Unacceptable".

I am Committed to Reform that Puts Patients First

I am firmly committed to working with all parties to find solutions that provide genuine access to affordable, quality health care for every American. The time has come for reforms that will create a balanced, common sense approach guaranteeing that Americans receive the care they deserve while protecting the sacred doctor-patient relationship. Now is not the time to play politics with health care. I pledge to you that I will continue to reach out to both Republicans and Democrats to achieve what matters most: more affordable, more accessible, more patient-centered health care.

We can do this through a number of methods, but we must especially focus on a new focus on wellness, prevention, and early detection, efforts that are well known to doctors but have been blocked by Washington politicians and bureaucrats. Additionally we must fight the waste, fraud and abuse that is inherent to the current system. Whether it’s insurance companies forcing doctors to use more expensive tests or the practice of defensive medicine, which compels doctors to conduct unnecessary tests to ensure that they don’t get sued, today’s system is full of waste and mismanagement. It is estimated that 30 to 40 cents of every health care dollar is simply covering waste.

Instead of Reform, Democrats are Pushing a Washington Takeover of Health Care

Instead of making these and other patient-centered reforms, some in Congress are advocating for a Washington-centered system that would standardize care by taking decisions about your health out of the hands of you and your doctor and giving them to a committee of bureaucrats and politicians. I believe that nobody in the government should be telling you that you can’t get a medication that’s going to help prolong your life or that your child can’t see their doctor when they are sick; yet in countries where the focus has been taken off of the patient and put onto a “one-size-fits-all” system that takes choices out of the hands of you and your doctor, that is exactly what happens. We must never get to that point.

I don’t want Americans forced into the position where they may potentially have to wait weeks for tests and months for treatments they need, if they can get them at all. I cannot stand for a system that would deny us the ability to take care of our families unless we have the approval of Washington. Coastal South Carolina is blessed with some of the best medical facilities and best doctors in the nation, and no government bureaucrat or regulation should stand in the way of you getting that quality care you need, when you need it.

What taxes will be raised in the House Democrat health care bill?

The House Democrats bill increases taxes while at the same time increasing the overall federal deficit.  CBO estimates that the bill will increase the deficit by $239 billion in the first ten years.  Even this is misleading though, since the tax increases in the bill start immediately, but the new spending is delayed.  Once the spending fully starts, the bill adds over $60 billion a year to the deficit.  Among the tax increases in the Democrats bill are:

• New surtax on individuals with more than $280,000 in adjusted gross income ($350,000 for a couple). The surtax rises with income, reaching 5.4% for individuals with $800,000 or more in income ($1,000,000 for a couple). This new tax will push the top tax rate in 39 of the 50 states to more than 50%.  Because small businesses pay their taxes through their owners, this new surtax will largely fall on the backs of small businesses. According to the non-partisan Joint Tax Committee, 42% of all small business income will be subject to this new surtax.
• New tax on individuals of 2.5% of income if they don’t purchase “government approved” coverage.
• New 8% payroll tax on employers, forcing employers to offer “acceptable coverage” or pay the tax including:
• Employers who can’t afford to offer health insurance to their employers;
• Employers who do the right thing and offer health coverage to their employees but the coverage is deemed “insufficient” by the government;
• Employers who do the right thing and offer “government approved” health care to their employers and some employees decide to purchase coverage elsewhere; and
• Employers who aren’t paying at least 72.5% of an employee’s premium (65% for family coverage).
• New tax on health insurance premiums to fund comparative effectiveness research that will make coverage through every private health plan more expensive. 
• Limitations on existing use of  Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and other health related accounts that will drive up health care costs for individuals using these plans. 
• Additional tax increases on businesses unrelated to health care, including delay in helpful worldwide interest rules, changes to the international tax rules that could put the U.S. in violation of its treaty obligations, and codification of the economic substance doctrine.

I have heard that my health coverage choices will be limited under the Democrats’ plan.  Is this true?   

Yes, a new unelected, government bureaucrat, the “Health Care Commissioner,” would have unprecedented authority to determine what will be “acceptable” health care coverage and set all the rules for what health care coverage must include in addition to what treatments patients could receive and at what cost.  Your current insurance plan may not qualify as “acceptable” coverage.  In fact, many plans that are currently options available to Members of Congress through FEHBP wouldn’t meet the proposed onerous requirements.  Republican amendments to ensure that people could keep their current health care plans were defeated by the Democrats in all three Committees (Energy and Commerce; Education and Labor; and Ways and Means).

I've heard that health care will be rationed under the Democrats’ plan.  Is this true?

Yes, the current health proposals under consideration in Congress place too much control in the hands of government bureaucrats who will ultimately be able to decide what is “acceptable” coverage, including what health care services and treatments may be covered and at what cost. 

Furthermore in February, as part of their economic stimulus bill, Democrats created a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research that has the power to greatly influence and potentially decide coverage decisions about what treatments may be offered to patients based on cost.  A draft report issued by the House Appropriations Committee to explain this initiative made clear the ultimate goal: 

By knowing what works best and presenting this information more broadly to patients and healthcare professionals, those items, procedures, and interventions that are most effective to prevent, control, and treat health conditions will be utilized, while those that are found to be less effective and in some cases, more expensive, will no longer be prescribed.

Comparative effectiveness is already resulting in rationing in Europe.  In 1999 the British created their comparative effectiveness organization called the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). As the Heritage Foundation has noted NICE has routinely used cost to deny patients needed care:

In 2001, NICE deliberately restricted state-insured sufferers of multiple sclerosis from receiving the innovative medicine Beta Interferon. Claiming that its relatively high price jeopardized the efficacy of the [the National Health System], patients with the more severe forms of the disease were told that they would have to go on suffering in the name of politically defined equity.

In January 2009, patients with osteoporosis also fell foul of NICE. The institute declared that only a small minority of patients with this debilitating disease would receive the medicine Protelos, and even they would receive it only as an extreme last resort.

During the Committee mark-ups of the House Democrats bill, Democrats defeated Republican amendments to prevent rationing.

 

 

I support the Empowering Patients First Act (H.R. 3400), legislation based on the fundamental principle that personal medical decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington
- compare H.R. 3200 with the Democrat's Government-run health plan. (pdf)

House GOP Plan for Affordable, Accessible, Available Health Care

GOP.gov Health Care Resources

Republicans believe there are a number of potential areas for common ground to work with President Obama to make high-quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American. Health care choices are incredibly personal decisions that only you and your family can make. No bureaucrat should determine and inject themselves into what could be a life or death decision for you and your family.

The best ideas and solutions to improve the quality of health care in America are almost always generated by the doctors and health care providers who work closely with the patient. We have been examining existing laws and policies to determine whether they make health care more expensive and actually hinder access to affordable health care coverage.

We know that a government takeover of health care will raise taxes, ration care, let government bureaucrats make decisions that should be made by families and doctors, and eliminate the health coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently rely on. That’s why our solutions are focused on the real problems that need immediate attention – lowering the cost of your health care and helping people who are most in need. Republicans want to create more affordable health care coverage options so that all Americans can access the health care coverage that they need to live healthier lives.

House GOP Health Care Principles
1. Make quality health care coverage affordable and accessible for every American, regardless of pre-existing health conditions.

2. Protect Americans from being forced into a new government-run health care plan that would:
a) eliminate the health coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently receive through their job
b) limit your choice of doctors and medical treatment options
c) result in the federal government taking control of your health care

3. 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.

4. Ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats.

5. Improve Americans’ lives through effective prevention, wellness, and disease management programs, while developing new treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases.

For more information:
House GOP Health Care Solutions Group

Congressional Health Care Caucus

Multi-Trillion Dollar Question: How Will Dems Pay for Government Takeover of Health Care?

Personal Stories of Health Rationing (.pdf)

The Wall Street Journal: "How Washingtion Rations"

The Wall Street Journal: "Expect longer waits for appointments as physicians get pinched on reimbursements."

 

 

Health Care in Congress
House Committee on Energy and Commerce (jurisdiction over most health-related policies and programs - Full Committee Democrat Site - Full Committee Republican Site - Health Subcommittee: Democrat/Republican House Committee on Ways and Means (jurisdiction over Medicare and other entitlement programs under the Social Security Act - Full Committee Democrat Site - Full Committee Republican Site - Health Subcommittee: Democrat/Republican
Federal Agencies Focused on Health Care
Department of Health and Human Services - Centers for Disease Control - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - MyMedicare.gov - National Institutes of Health and links to specific NIH Institutes	Food and Drug Administration Administration on Aging
Health Care in South Carolina
South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services South Carolina Healthy Choices – Medicaid Enrollment
Health Resources and Information
Health and Nutrition Information from USA.gov Health Resources from HHS.gov MedlinePlus.gov - Health Information from the World's Largest Medical Library
Information on Health Policy from the Congressional Research Service
Health Insurance: A Primer Tax Benefits for Health Insurance and Expenses: Overview of Current Law and Legislation Medicare: A Primer Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit: A Primer Drug Safety and Effectiveness: Issues and Action Options After FDA Approval Medicaid: A Primer