A few months back I wrote Senator Coburn asking him his stance on the health care reform that is working its way though our government. I do believe I posted a blog about it. Its been a while but I finally got a reply. Here is his response. Enjoy!
Thank you for taking the time to email me. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to your message. I would also like to apologize for my delayed response. I have received literally thousands of letters regarding health care from Oklahomans and I personally read and respond to all of them.
President Obama's proposals-along with those in the majority of Congress-would place the government in charge of all of health care in America. According to independent analyses, as many as 115 million of Americans would be pushed into a government-run insurance plan. Medical decisions would be made by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. rather than by doctors and their patients. Americans would be left with a single-payer, government-run health care system. You can search the bill H.R. 3200 at http://www.thomas.loc.
I believe such a model would be disastrous for this country. Socialized systems stay afloat by rationing care, denying costly treatments, and letting people die before their time. If the United States cancer survivorship rates were as low as Great Britain's- a single-payer health system-one million more Americans could die from cancer each decade. That is unacceptable to me.
But our current health care system is clearly broken. We see signs of its failure: out of control medical costs, lack of health insurance coverage, limited choice in which doctor you can visit, and hassles in getting an insurance company to pay for medically necessary care.
Fortunately, there is a better way. I have introduced S.1099, the Patients' Choice Act, to give all Americans the ability to make their own health care decisions, see the doctor they want, and get the care they need.
The proposal includes a provision for individual health care tax credits of $2,290 for each American, and $5,710 for each American family - regardless of employment status, age, health condition, or pre-existing conditions. This means that about nine in 10 American households would see a tax cut, and for most patients and families making under $250,000 annually, their health insurance premium costs would be lower. Employers would still be able to deduct from their taxes the cost of providing health insurance to their employees, but millions of Americans who do not currently receive health insurance would have real buying power. Coupling this policy with other substantial reforms will create a market for customer-driven, portable, and universal health coverage. The Patients' Choice Act would put individuals in charge of their health care decisions and would increase access, affordability, and choice of health care plans. This proposal is a clear market-based alternative that seeks to strengthen the relationship between the patient and the doctor.
We do need health care reform in America, but we need American solutions. We do not need to follow some European countries that have a socialized mold of a single-payer system. America should achieve universal access in a way that puts individual Americans in charge of their own health care decisions. I can assure you that I will continue to persuade my colleagues to do what is best for America.
As a practicing physician and a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions committee, I am committed to major reforms. Please know that I will do everything in my power to better America's healthcare system. Thank you again for contacting me. You can read more on my website, www.coburn.senate.gov, and I sincerely appreciate your email message.
-Bastian Gatten
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