Rehberg Supports Republican Alternative Health Care Bill as 72-Hour Clock Winds Down
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued support for a Republican alternative health care bill in expectation of a vote on Saturday. He praised the bill for being responsive to the concerns of Montanans voiced in 18 listening sessions across the state.
“While Speaker Pelosi orchestrated a reckless charge into government-run health care, I’m standing with Montanans in favor of sensible reforms that don’t simply replace insurance bureaucracies with more expensive government bureaucracies,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’ve held 18 listening sessions throughout Montana. I heard from tens of thousands of Montanans in person, over the phone and through the internet. There’s a consensus that health care reform is needed, but Montanans understand that Speaker Pelosi’s cure is worse than the disease. This Republican alternative does more to reduce the cost of health care and costs far less to implement.”
Rehberg, who has become more critical of Pelosi’s massive 2,000-page bill with every page he reads, helped House Republican Leaders draft an alternative bill that incorporates the better solutions for health care reform that he has long been advocating for in Montana. From meaningful lawsuit reform to end wasteful and expensive defensive medicine practices to increasing consumer choice by allowing insurance purchasing over state lines, Rehberg helped bring real health care solutions to the table.
The House Republicans 219-page substitute for Pelosi’s 1,990-page bill would entirely replace that bill with policies that have been discussed at countless public town hall meetings across the nation. Among the advantages of the Republican alternative bill is a much lower price tag, and provisions that go into effect as soon as the President signs it into law. The Pelosi Health Care bill costs $1.2 trillion and much of it doesn’t go into effect until well into the next decade.
“We’re experiencing a health care crisis, and immediate action is necessary,” said Rehberg. “This bill has better solutions that can start addressing the problem today instead of waiting until 2013. At the end of the day, this bill looks a lot more like Montana than the San Francisco alternative.”
Rehberg posted the full text of the bills and amendments in the “Transparency Center” of his official website at http://rehberg.house.gov.
The following provisions are included in the Republican Alternative:
Establishing Universal Access Programs which guarantee access to affordable care for those with pre-existing conditions. Bt expanding and reforming high-risk pools and reinsurance programs the Republican alternative guarantees that all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses, have access to affordable care – while lowering costs for all Americans.
Ending expensive and wasteful defensive medicine. This plan would help curb defensive medicine by enacting medical liability reforms modeled after successful state laws.
Prevents insurers from unjustly cancelling a policy or instituting annual of lifetime spending caps. The Republican alternative plan prohibits an insurer from cancelling a policy unless a person commits fraud or conceals material facts about a health condition. It also prohibits insurance plans from instituting annual or lifetime spending limits.
Allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines. The Republican alternative plan allows Americans to shop for coverage from coast to coast by allowing Americans living in one state to purchase insurance in another.
Encouraging Small Business Health Plans. This plan gives small businesses the power to pool together and offer health care at lower prices, just as corporations and labor unions do.
Encouraging innovative state programs. The Republican alternative plan rewards innovation by providing incentive payments to states that reduce premiums and the number of uninsured.
Promoting healthier lifestyles. The Republican alternative plan promotes prevention & wellness by giving employers greater flexibility to financially reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.
Enhancing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The Republican alternative plan creates new incentives to save for future and long-term care needs by allowing qualified participants to use HSAs to pay premiums.
Allowing dependents to remain on their parents’ policies. The Republican alternative plan encourages coverage of young adults on their parents’ insurance through age 25.