Congressman Geoff Davis : Serving Kentucky's Fourth District

Washington, Nov 17, 2009 - Although Speaker Pelosi’s flawed 1,990 page health care bill (H.R. 3962) passed the House on November 7th, the debate on health care reform is far from over. 

We need health care legislation that will give the American people the reform they have asked for: fix what is broken in our health care system, reduce cost and increase access to health insurance.  That is why my Republican colleagues and I introduced the Common Sense Health Reform and Affordability Act (H.R. 4038). 

Our health care reform legislation would increase access to health care coverage, reduce costs for all Americans and save the taxpayers’ money.  The 219-page bill costs $61 billion and reduces the deficit by $68 billion over ten years for a net savings of $7 billion.  Unlike Speaker Pelosi’s legislation, H.R. 4038 does not include job killing tax increases or harmful Medicare cuts that will affect our seniors’ benefits. 

Our plan would make health insurance more affordable and therefore more accessible to American families and businesses.  According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), under H.R. 4038, insurance premiums will be $5,000 less expensive than the cheapest health insurance plan available under the Democrat bill. 

H.R. 4038 creates State Plan Finders to ease access to plain English information about insurance plans without the fine print.  It also creates a new incentive program that will reward States for taking steps that reduce premium costs and decrease the number of uninsured individuals.

Our bill gives small businesses and associations the power to pool together and offer better health care coverage at lower prices, just like corporations and labor unions do.  Additionally, H.R. 4038 would give Americans the freedom to buy insurance across State lines. 

To improve coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, our plan would establish State Universal Access Programs.  These Universal Access Programs would expand and reform high-risk pools and reinsurance programs to guarantee that all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions, have access to affordable care.  H.R. 4038 would also prohibit insurance companies from unjustly cancelling coverage or instituting lifetime spending caps.  Additionally, it promotes prevention and wellness by doubling the financial incentives for employers to reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.

Health care reform will never be successful unless we include substantive medical malpractice reform.  H.R. 4038 includes real medical liability reform to end junk lawsuits and reduce the practice of defensive medicine.  CBO estimates that enactment of substantive medical liability reform would reduce federal budget deficits by $54 billion over ten years and reduce overall national health care costs. 

We still have the opportunity to improve health care legislation and ensure that the final bill will increase access to affordable health care without piling additional debt on future generations, costing more jobs, or putting the government between patients and their doctors.  Although the Common Sense Health Care Reform and Affordability Act failed by a vote of 176 to 258 when it was offered as a substitute to H.R. 3962, I am hopeful that the Majority will incorporate our sensible solutions into final health care reform legislation.