Submitted by: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

From what we’ve seen from the Democrats so far on health care reform legislation, it’s clear that they are more than willing to put a Washington bureaucrat between you and your doctor.

Earlier this week during the House Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up of the Democrat's proposed health care reform legislation, Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-GA), a former ob-gyn who practiced for 26 years before being elected to Congress and a member of the Committee, offered an amendment that would prevent government bureaucrats at the proposed Center for Quality Improvement from dictating to physicians what treatments they can or can't offer. It was defeated by an almost straight party-line vote, with only one Democrat voting with all the Republicans.

Democrats also rejected another amendment that would have allowed state governments to decide what kind of insurance coverage to offer public employees.  So Americans don’t want their state to pay for abortion services for state or local employees?  Republicans can respect that.  Democrats, on the other hand, want DC to dictate the very specifics of all these health care plans – and if states refuse, they’d have their funding withheld. 

As Congressman Henry Waxman, Chairman of the Committee, stated, ““We can’t tell states what to do directly.  We have to use whatever leverage we have over them.”

This is the point to their health care proposal?  Putting government right in the middle of the health decisions that should be made by you and your doctor? 

Here’s the harsh reality of what’s facing our nation. Since the recession began, 6,000,000 jobs have been lost.  Yet the Democrats’ health care plan includes billions of dollars in job-killing tax increases on small businesses - our country’s job creation engine. And, despite claims their reform will reduce health care costs, CBO Director Elmendorf told Congress that the Democrats’ proposed reform will only INCREASE future federal spending on health care. Furthermore, an independent analysis by the non-partisan Lewin Group found that 114 million Americans would lose their current health insurance.

Earlier this year I reintroduced the Health Care Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would improve America’s flawed health care model by increasing patient choice, lowering costs and breaking down barriers that restrict access to care. Under current law, businesses are allowed to deduct the cost of employee health care from their taxes, while individuals and families who purchase health care cannot take the same deductions. This bias against individual choice leads to higher health care costs and reduces accessibility to care. My legislation would erase this bias and extend the same tax incentives to businesses and individuals alike. This would not only make health care more affordable for those who purchase it themselves, but by injecting choice and competition into the health care market it would lower prices for all Americans.

Republicans want to expand access to affordable health care and give families the freedom to choose the health care that fits their needs – without imposing a job-killing tax hike on small businesses and working families. From what we’ve seen from the Democrats – they want to take those choices away.