For several years, families and small businesses have suffered from the negative effects of ObamaCare.
In Congress, I have supported several bills that will help repeal some of ObamaCare’s most penalizing mandates that are hurting Mainers the most – individual mandate, IPAB, Medical Device Excise Tax and restored the work-week to 40 hours instead of 30 hours.
Furthermore, next month, the United States Supreme Court is expected to decide if the ObamaCare federal health insurance exchange subsidies are legal.
If they are ruled unlawful, it will be incumbent upon Congress to help create a thoughtful free market replacement for ObamaCare, and an off-ramp for the six million individuals, including more than 70,000 Mainers, who have in good faith purchased ObamaCare policies.
To that end, I sent a letter to Chairmen Paul Ryan (R-WI), Fred Upton (R-MI) and John Kline (R-MN) expressing my concerns and offering Made-In-Maine, free-market solutions to ObamaCare.
Below are several free-market solutions:
• Require hospitals and doctors to provide patients with the estimated costs of health care services and procedures so they can shop for the best care at the lowest price. This will reduce monthly health insurance premiums by driving down the underlying cost of health care.
• Allow insurance companies to share savings with patients when services and procedures of comparable quality are purchased outside of the health care plan’s network at below average costs.
• Allow individuals, families, and businesses to shop across state lines for the health insurance plans that fit their needs and pocketbooks.
• Remove the mandates for unnecessary and expensive health care services and procedures to be covered by all health insurance plans.
• Allow affordable high-deductible and low- premium health care policies to be offered by insurance companies.
• Allow small businesses and other organizations to band together while negotiating the purchase of the health insurance plans that best meets their needs at costs they can afford.
• Allow insurance companies to charge much less for health care plans sold to younger individuals and those who make healthy lifestyle choices.
• Require insurance companies to provide coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions.
• Require health insurance plans to be portable when workers change jobs.
• Allow states to establish reinsurance pools that provide affordable health insurance to those who need high levels of health care services.
• Allow health insurance policies to be purchased with pre-tax dollars.
• Expand the use of tax-free health saving accounts by allowing the funds to pay for monthly premiums as well as out-of-pocket expenses.
• Allow families to buy primary health care services directly from their doctors of choice, and then purchase inexpensive high-deductible policies to insure against catastrophic illness.
• Do not allow the IRS to fine or penalize individuals who choose not to purchase health insurance.
I have always believed that Government should work FOR our families and the businesses that employ them, NOT AGAINST them. Solving our country’s health insurance problem will give our families more financial security and peace of mind.
I’m confident that our health insurance experience in Maine and other states, can help Congress find a successful free-market replacement to ObamaCare that increases health plan choices, reduces costs, and helps grow our economy and create more jobs for our hard-working families.
1 Comment
“Require insurance companies to provide coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions.”
I understand the emotion behind this regulation. I feel it, too.
But as a practical matter, as good as the rest of Rep. Poliquin’s list is, this one rule is bad enough to undo the whole thing. What’s the incentive for anyone to buy insurance before they get sick? The state reinsurance or high risk pools are the answer to the pre-existing conditions problem.