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U.S. Constitution

Health Care: Affordable, Accessible for All

Quality health care should be affordable and accessible for every American, and those who like their current health care coverage should be able to keep it. John Kline supports health care reform that puts patients and their health first, and protects the important doctor-patient relationship.

He supports a solution that empowers doctors and patients by making health care more affordable, more accessible, and more accountable. Minnesotans deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the health care their families need, when they need it.

John Kline’s Solutions
Members of Congress from all points on the political spectrum can agree on certain, basic principles. If they sat down with a blank piece of paper and started with the principles outlined below, Congressman Kline is confident Republicans and Democrats could create a plan that would have the support of the American people.

  • A pre-existing condition should not prevent you from attaining affordable coverage.
  • Dependents should be able to remain on their parent’s insurance policies until the age of 25 – reducing the number of uninsured Americans by as many as 7 million individuals.
  • Allow employers to offer incentives for making healthy lifestyle decisions – such as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
  • Enable self-employed individuals to deduct their health care expenditures.
  • Allow states, small businesses, and others to band together to offer health insurance with the same low rates currently available to large companies.
  • Put an end to frivolous medical liability litigation that drives up the cost of health care.

Democrats’ Health Care Proposal (H.R. 3200)
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), H.R. 3200, a 1,018-page health care proposal that would lead to a government takeover of health care includes more than $1 trillion in new spending between now and 2019. The plan includes more than $820 billion in job-killing tax increases on small businesses and families making as little as $18,700 per year over the next decade. You can view the bill by clicking here.

Republican Health Care Solutions
In the 111th Congress, House Republicans have introduced dozens of health care bills that would provide affordability, accessibility, and accountability to our health care system:
H.R. 77 – Health Care Incentive Act
H.R. 109 – America’s Affordable Health Care Act
H.R. 198 – Health Care Tax Deduction Act of 2009
H.R. 270 – TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2009
H.R. 321 – SCHIP Plus Act of 2009
H.R. 464 – More Children, More Choices Act of 2009
H.R. 502 – Health Care Freedom of Choice Act
H.R. 504 – Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2009
H.R. 544 – Flexible Health Savings Act of 2009
H.R. 643 – Care for Life Act of 2009
H.R. 917 – To increase the health benefits of dependents of members of the Armed Forces who die because of a combat-related injury
H.R. 1075 – RECOVER Act (Restoring Essential Care for Our Veterans for Effective Recovery)
H.R. 1086 – Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2009
H.R. 1118 – Health Care Choices for Seniors Act
H.R. 1441 – Ryan Dant Health Care Opportunity Act of 2009
H.R. 1458 – Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2009
H.R. 1468 – Medical Justice Act of 2009
H.R. 1658 – Veterans Healthcare Commitment Act of 2009
H.R. 1891 – Sunset of Life Protection Act of 2009
H.R. 2051 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize extended benefits for certain autistic dependents of certain retirees
H.R. 2373 – Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act of 2009
H.R. 2520 – Patients’ Choice Act
H.R. 2607 – To amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to improve access and choice for entrepreneurs with small businesses with respect to medical care for their employees
H.R. 2692 – CAH Designation Waiver Authority Act of 2009
H.R. 2784 – Partnership to Improve Seniors Access to Medicare Act
H.R. 2785 – Health Care Paperwork Reduction and Fraud Prevention Act of 2009
H.R. 2786 – Patient Fairness and Indigent Care Promotion Act of 2009
H.R. 2787 – Medical Liability Procedural Reform Act of 2009
H.R. 3141 – Strengthening the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2009
H.R. 3217 – Health Care Choice Act
H.R. 3218 – Improving Health Care for All Americans Act
H.R. 3356 – Medicare Beneficiary Freedom to Choose Act of 2009
H.R. 3372 – Health Care OverUse Reform Today Act (HealthCOURT Act)
H.R. 3400 – Empowering Patients First Act
H.R. 3438 – Access to Insurance for all Americans Act
H.R. 3454 – Medicare Hospice Reform and Savings Act of 2009
H.R. 3478 – Patient-Controlled Healthcare Protection Act of 2009

John Kline: Time to Hit the Reset Button on Health Care Reform

Sept. 10, 2009
 
By John Kline
 

I have spent a lot of time these last few weeks meeting with workers, small business owners, health care professionals, and hardworking families from rural and suburban Minnesota. What I hear from them is what my colleagues are hearing from Americans all across this great nation – a sense of uncertainty about the health care legislation moving through Congress like a runaway freight train.

 

They ask: What will happen to my coverage, and my choice of doctors? Will I have to stand in line to receive treatment? Or get approval from someone in Washington before getting a knee replacement or filling a prescription for the latest diabetes medication?

 

Access to quality care and the comfort of a familiar physician aren’t the only things on Minnesotans’ minds. With trillion dollar price tags becoming almost commonplace in Washington, American families are worried about what all this spending means for their jobs – and their children – and their children’s children.

 

No wonder Americans are scared. Health care reform is being imposed upon them, rather than developed with them, and the potential costs are far too high. And sadly – monetary costs are only part of the picture. Many are concerned that Democrats’ plans may cost patients the right to see their family doctor or have any input into a life-altering – if not life-saving – medical treatment. They also fear – and rightly so – that it may cost them their jobs – a devastating prospect in an economy that has already lost 6.9 million jobs since this recession began.

 

When it comes to health care reform, Minnesotans do not want speeches from their elected leaders, they want solutions. When the President urged Congress earlier this week to pursue bipartisan solutions, majority leadership in Congress responded with ardent defense of partisan legislation crafted behind closed doors. At more than 1,000 pages, it is complicated, convoluted, and quite simply will not work.

 

It’s time to press the ‘reset’ button.

 

This issue is far too important to be determined by partisan battles. There are solid, commonsense ideas members of all political stripes can coalesce around as we seek to stop unnecessary political bickering and formulate a solution that puts the American people ahead of government ambition.

For example, most of my colleagues recognize that not all high school and college graduates are immediately able to find a job that offers health care coverage after graduation. By allowing dependents to remain on their parents’ health policies up to the age of 25, the number of uninsured Americans could be reduced by up to 7 million. That is a pretty good start if you ask me.

It is also important to recognize the role employers – large and small – play in providing insurance. I think we can all see the value in helping the 10 million uninsured Americans who are eligible, but not enrolled in, an employer-sponsored plan get health care coverage by encouraging employers to move to opt-out, rather than opt-in rules. I also think we should help small employers reduce the administrative costs of providing coverage to their employees by establishing a new small business tax credit. 

Washington faces an enormous opportunity. The President can work with Congress – Democrats and Republicans – in pursuit of areas in which we have found agreement, or he can focus on the areas that divide us in a continued embrace of the politics of the past. I agree with the President that the status quo is unsustainable.

In the wake of Labor Day, the folks running Washington should honor American workers by hitting the ‘reset’ button on health care reform and stopping the government takeover that threatens American jobs.

 

John Kline, of Lakeville, is the senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee.

 

July 17, 2009
 
By John Kline

As the senior Republican on the U.S. House and Education and Labor Committee, I have spent much of the past week in committee meetings reviewing the 1,018-page health care bill introduced Tuesday by House Democrat leadership. Irrespective of partisan political views, we can all agree that Minnesotans and all Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the health care their families need, when they need it, at a cost they can afford. Accordingly, Congress is faced with the challenge of bringing meaningful reform to the U.S. health care system without damaging our economy. 

Naturally, when it comes to health care reform, much of the national conversation has been personal: Can I keep my coverage? Can I keep my doctor? How will my co-payments and other fees be affected? But there is also a business side to the health care debate that needs attention – and it is no less personal.

Supporters of the bill being debated in Congress want to finance their reform on the backs of the small businesses that drive our economy. The majority leadership in Congress proposes to pay for their estimated $1.3 trillion package (according to the Congressional Budget Office) by imposing:

  • A surtax on individuals earning at least $280,000 in adjusted gross income and couples earning more than $350,000 – roughly half of which would be collected from small businesses.
  • A “pay or play” scheme that requires employers to “play” by offering federally-approved health benefits or “pay” a new tax equal to eight percent of the payroll.
  • Cuts in Medicare spending – just as millions of sixty-something baby boomers are soon to enroll in this already financially shaky program. 

The proposed mountain of new mandates and taxes will cost America jobs at a time when it needs them most. At 9.5 percent, our national unemployment rate is at its highest level in 26 years. Approximately 467,000 jobs were lost last month alone – nearly 17,000 of which were in Minnesota – and close to 6.5 million jobs have been lost since the recession began. And this is before any additional burdens have been enacted. 

If the current proposal does become reality, experts say the job situation will deteriorate even further. A national mandate on small businesses to provide health care would eliminate 1.6 million jobs over a five-year period, according to a study by the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation. Two out of three of those jobs would be shed from the small businesses that drive our economy.

But don’t take the business community’s word for it. Using a model developed by Dr. Christina Romer, chairwoman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, it is estimated that 4.7 million jobs could be lost as a result of health-related taxes businesses simply cannot afford to pay. 

I believe there is a better way. In contrast to the plan supported by majority leadership, I prefer an approach that would not push the costs of reform to families and small businesses, strip individuals of the employer-provided coverage they currently receive, nor force Americans in need of care to navigate yet another maze of government bureaucracy.

I join many of my Republican colleagues in supporting a plan that will create opportunities for small businesses to pool their resources to offer higher quality coverage, provide tax credits to help small businesses cover the administrative costs of establishing and maintaining health coverage, and cut regulations so insurance companies can compete for business, which would enable individuals to shop around for the coverage and price that best meet their unique needs.

We must find a way to fix health care without crippling our economy. Rather than support the current proposal – which provides considerably more questions than answers, I hope to work with Democrats and Republicans to forge a commonsense, bipartisan solution that will fix what’s broken in the health care system while keeping what works – including the job and health plan many Minnesotans already have.

John Kline, of Lakeville, represents the Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his fourth term in Congress, he is the Senior Republican on the Education and Labor Committee.

 

John Kline Discusses Health Care Reform at Town Hall Meeting With 900 Minnesotans

Constituents Invited to Participate in Online Health Care Survey

BURNSVILLE – In the wake of the President’s remarks on health care reform to a rare joint session of Congress, Congressman John Kline hosted a live town hall meeting Friday attended by approximately 900 Minnesotans at the Lakeville South High School.

“I have spent a lot of time the past six weeks meeting with workers, small business owners, health care professionals, and hardworking families from rural and suburban Minnesota,” Congressman Kline said. “What I have heard echoes what my colleagues are hearing from Americans all across our great nation – a sense of uncertainty about the health care legislation moving through Congress like a runaway freight train.”


With the exception of one question about his leadership against pork-barrel spending in Washington, Congressman Kline answered about 25 questions on health care reform from the audience. In response, he outlined bipartisan principles for health care reform that could win support from lawmakers from across the political spectrum:  

  • A pre-existing condition should not prevent you from attaining affordable coverage.
  • Dependents should be able to remain on their parent’s insurance policies until the age of 25 – reducing the number of uninsured Americans by as many as 7 million individuals.
  • Allow employers to officer incentives for making health lifestyle decisions – such as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
  • Enable self-employed individuals to deduct their health car expenditures.
  • Allow states, small businesses, and others to band together to offer health insurance with the same low rates currently available to large companies.
  • Put an end to frivolous medical liability litigation that drives up the cost of health care.

“If we hit the reset button, sat down with a blank piece of paper, and started with these principles, I am confident Republicans and Democrats could create a plan that would have the support of the American people,” Congressman Kline said.

Individuals who were unable to attend the town hall meeting but would like to share a question or concern with Congressman Kline can call his district office at (952) 808-1213. Constituents are encouraged to share their thoughts on health care reform by completing an online survey at http://kline.house.gov/survey.

In his fourth term in Congress, Congressman Kline is the Senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, one of the three committees that have jurisdiction over the current health care proposal. He is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

 

John Kline Conducts Health Care Tour in District
In August, 2009, John Kline led a health care tour throughout the district that included visits to a hospital, a pharmacy, an assisted living facility, and a small business where he heard from a variety of stakeholders in the health care debate.

Thisweek Newspapers published a story on his health care tour:

"… Pharmacists told Kline that federal bureaucracy is already interfering with patient relationships and hurting small business…Kline advocated for a bill that reduces health care and insurance costs with input from all sides of the political aisle… “If you want the American people there to have buy-in from across the spectrum, you need to sit down from the beginning and there’s going to be some things you can agree on,” Kline said. “There are things you can agree on, and you ought to sit down and develop a bipartisan bill that you can move forward and would get more Americans insured and help lower the cost of health care.”

Read the entire story by clicking here.

 

John Kline Leads Health Care Roundtable
In June, 2009, John Kline invited constituents, doctors, administrators, and other health care professionals and stakeholders to share their valuable perspectives and experiences at a health care roundtable discussion at Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville.

The meeting was particularly timely, as he was elected recently to serve as the senior Republican on the Education and Labor Committee. Among his first responsibilities in this role was to lead a hearing in Washington on the health care proposal (H.R. 3200) currently being reviewed by Congress.

 

Share Your Thoughts on Health Care
Quality health care should be affordable and accessible for every American. It represents one of the most trusted and sacred relationships in our society – the bond between patient and doctor. It is not an exaggeration to say that health care is a matter of life and death. Health care accounts for one-sixth of our nation’s economy. It affects jobs and family incomes. While we may disagree on how to get there, everyone agrees that America’s health care system is in need of serious reform.

Congressman Kline would like to hear from you. Please take the time to complete this survey to share your thoughts on this important issue by clicking here.