Senator Blunt believes the fight over the Democrats’ budget-busting government takeover of health care is far from over. The law’s misplaced priorities include massive cuts to Medicare, huge new costs passed on to struggling state governments, tax hikes on job creators and middle class Americans alike, new Washington-controlled regulations that threaten to damage the quality of care available to all Americans, and cost estimates to our children and grandchildren that run into the trillions.

Although the President signed the bill into law, there are still many common-sense reforms that were not included in the legislation. Senator Blunt believes we need to work to repeal the bill and replace it with better solutions, such as those he offered during his tenure in the House. As the Senator has said throughout this debate – let’s keep what works and fix what’s broken.

One of the major issues overlooked in health care reform was medical liability reform.  The state of Missouri instituted its own tort reforms in 2005 with great success. The Missouri Department of Insurance issued a report that showed insurance claims dropped approximately 20 percent in the state between 2005 and 2008.  To help address this issue at the federal level, Senator Blunt has introduced S.1099, the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act.  This bill would help end the current medical liability crisis, while reducing spiraling health care costs and maintaining patient access to care.  The Congressional Budget Office said instituting reforms included in this legislation would help save taxpayers up to $54 billion over the next 10 years.  The bill would allow current state laws to stay in place with respect to damages, but would bring needed relief to those states that have not enacted tort reforms.

Other plans Senator Blunt has proposed in the past and hopes to tackle in the Senate include ensuring people aren’t denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, portability across state lines, and small business health plans. Senator Blunt believes we need to make common-sense updates to our health care system, without breaking the bank.