Solutions For Reforming America’s Healthcare System By: Senator Mitch McConnell

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Solutions For Reforming America’s Healthcare System By: Senator Mitch McConnell

One of the first principles every doctor learns is “do no harm.” This reminds them of the power they hold in their hands—while it is within their abilities to heal a patient, what they do has the potential to cause injury as well. Doctors must weigh the risks of different actions.

Unfortunately, when it comes to healthcare reform, the liberals in control of Congress seem to have forgotten this maxim. Both parties agree that America needs healthcare reform. The question is: what kind of reform?

Taking the wrong course could lead to a government takeover of health care that costs trillions of dollars, adds to our unsustainable national debt, forces Americans off the health insurance they already have and like, leaves them paying more for worse care than they now receive, and leads to the same kind of denial, delay, and rationing of care we see in other countries.

But there are some positive steps government can take that should be easy for everyone to agree on and that would make health care less expensive and more accessible.

Junk lawsuits drive up healthcare costs and limit access to care in many places, including Kentucky. They make the amount doctors have to pay in medical malpractice insurance so high many have been forced to limit the care they provide. Placing reasonable limits on medical-liability lawsuits can lower costs.

Most insurance plans pay for care when people get sick but don’t do enough to encourage them to stay healthy. Programs that provide incentives to do things like exercise regularly or stop smoking can drive down costs. Any healthcare reform Congress enacts ought to provide these incentives.

Congress can also fix unfair tax laws concerning health care. Right now, companies that provide health insurance to their employees can deduct the cost of those premiums from their taxes. But individuals who buy their own coverage cannot. Congress should change that. We should also not burden small businesses with new taxes or mandates that will kill jobs.

I still believe Congress and the president can agree on sensible, bipartisan reform measures like the ones I’ve laid out here. To do that, however, it’s important that we take the time to do this right. Just as you would want doctors to “do no harm,” you would also not want them to rush into the wrong diagnosis.

That doesn’t mean reform isn’t possible, or that anyone doesn’t want reform. But it does mean that we need to be sure to listen to the American people and pass the kind of reforms they really want.

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