Fighting for a New Start on Healthcare
Influential Federal Judge Learned Hand once wrote, "Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes." But when Hand wrote this in 1934, he surely never imagined Americans being taxed for simply existing.
But that's exactly what the Supreme Court upheld in its recent health care ruling – a tax on living. I believe our founders never intended for the federal government to grow to this size or be this powerful. Like most curveballs, all we can do is keep trying to hit this thing head on.
My goal is to return the power of medical decisions to families, not government bureaucrats. We should replace this law with a plan that drives down health care costs without the government having to burden the taxpayers or forcing patients into government-run programs. We also must ensure that Americans continue to have high quality health care.
We need a health care system that provides equal tax treatment for individual and employer-sponsored insurance. This would create more transparency in the consumer-market and would help correct the "pre-existing condition" issues that have been problematic to many people.
Creating a new government bureaucracy is not the answer, and this is not the final chapter. Know that I will remain vigilant in finding a lasting health care solution that will protect those vulnerable and ensure patient choice.
# # #
Sincerely,
