WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, a member of the Republican Health Care Solutions Group, released the following statement after the group and House Republican Leadership outlined their solution for health care reform. The legislation will give Americans more affordability and access while preserving the doctor-patient relationship.

“Americans are feeling the effects of a health care system in crisis and now is the time to implement reforms that empower individuals, families and small businesses instead of the government. As a mother of two and a daughter with aging parents, I want to see a system that strengthens the patient-doctor relationship, prevents the long waiting periods that are seen in other countries around the world and eliminates the waste, fraud and abuse in our nation’s current health care system.

“Time after time, the majority in this Congress has chosen to empower government over empowering people and that is the wrong direction. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Democrat’s plan would cost between $1 trillion and $1.6 trillion and would result in 23 million Americans losing their current health insurance. A government takeover of health care will pile onto already record deficits, drive us further in to debt, and jeopardize the doctor-patient relationship that is so vital to providing quality health care.

“Right now, affordability is the greatest barrier for people to get coverage so we need to allow small businesses and organizations to band together to provide health insurance at lower costs, and we need to empower individuals with tools to purchase the health care plan that best fits their medical needs and financial resources. In addition, health care needs to be more portable so people aren’t afraid of losing their health care should they lose or change their job. As I mentioned during a press conference yesterday, our plan provides for more access, more availability, more affordability, more choices, and more personal control.”