Washington, D.C. – Idahoans have made their thoughts and feelings very clear: They want a better approach to health care. However, they also have serious concerns about adding to the national deficit, about keeping costs low and about holding insurance companies accountable.
Their thoughts and suggestions over the last year have helped Congressman Walt Minnick craft five core principles he will use to evaluate proposals for reforms of our nation’s health care system:
- First, reforms must be fully funded.
- Second, comprehensive, affordable health insurance must be made available to all Americans.
- Third, no "socialized medicine.” The health care system of insurance must be private – not run by the government.
- Fourth, insurance companies must be required to make insurance available to everyone regardless of age, employment status or preconditions.
- And fifth, reforms must reduce costs, not just expand coverage.
“Unfortunately, the most recent proposal -- put forward by Democratic leadership in the House-- falls short of these principles,” Minnick said. “The free-market principles and cost-control suggestions made by my fellow fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats and many Republicans were almost all rejected.”
Minnick also said he opposed the “public option” measure, which he said is a flawed approach that would make “big government” the nation’s dominant insurance company.
“And the bill does nothing to train more doctors, while at the same time raising taxes and adding billions to our national debt, something Idahoans rightly will not stand for in these tough times,” Minnick said. “However, the House bill is only a first step. I am hopeful that other proposals will take a fiscally sound, bipartisan approach to the problem of health care reform. I look forward to working with my colleagues and eventually passing a more balanced bill supported by the wide majority of my constituents.”
