As an interventional cardiologist, I have actively participated in the national healthcare debate for the past 20 years.
Even though we have the finest healthcare system in the world, it’s still not perfect. There are weaknesses in the system that should be fixed. Healthcare can be reformed with simple, commonsense measures.
I’ve been a heart-specialist for almost 25 years and founded and chaired the American College of Cardiology’s national conference on the subject of healthcare reform. When it comes to healthcare and healthcare reform, I have suggestions that are based on real research and honest experience, unlike the president and Congress who have yet to be truthful with the American people about their real intentions. This healthcare reform represents the biggest power grab by government in the history of our nation.
We do need reform, not a total desecration of our healthcare system.
Let’s start by making health insurance competitive, and affordable, bringing healthcare costs down and allowing people to buy their insurance across state borders giving them greater choices and that will drive down prices. This will make health insurance affordable to nearly every American.
Make patients partners in their healthcare decisions by creating insurance with a $500 credit that kicks in even before someone’s deductible kicks-in. This will allow everyone to become a manager of their own care expenditures and give them incentives to make better financial medical choices.
Do away with pre-existing conditions and make health insurance available to everyone.
Health insurance must become portable so that when you change jobs or lose your job you do not lose your health insurance.
Let’s get the government and the trial lawyers out of the business of dictating healthcare decisions and measures. Health issues and healthcare should be between you and your doctor.
Congress must do away with the prohibitions for hospitals and physicians working together to streamline cost effective care and discussing better ways to provide healthcare for patients in a more cost effective manner.
So, competition, portability, strengthening doctor patient relationships, no pre-existing conditions exclusion, but more importantly limiting the involvement of the government is the way to truly reform our healthcare system. We have the greatest healthcare system in the world and as a member of congress I will work to make it even better using common-sense reforms and fighting more government intrusion in the process.
In Washington, I will:
Bring understanding and expert, insider knowledge about our healthcare system and what it will take to make meaningful reforms.
Take an active leadership role in the debate and negotiations around the future of our healthcare system.
Fight any effort that supports the implementation of a government run healthcare system.
Work to include tort reform as a component of health reform so that doctors can make honest recommendations to their patients, not give advice clouded by the fear of unlikely “what-if” scenarios and opportunistic lawyers.
