The Democratic candidates for president believe in a government-mandated model that looks for inspiration to the socialized medical systems of Europe, Canada, and Cuba.
Most Republicans believe in expanding individual choice and decision-making. I believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality of care by increasing competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not tax hikes. We can do it by empowering patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. Instead of being more like Europe, we need to be more like America.
....America is best when we solve our problems from our strengths, not our weaknesses. Healthcare reform must be based on increased choice, affordability, portability, and individual empowerment.
We need to begin by bringing fairness to the tax treatment of healthcare. ....
We can do this through a new tax-free income exclusion up to $15,000 for Americans without employer-based coverage. Any amount a family pays less than $15,000 -- for individuals, less than $7,500 -- could be put tax-free into a Health Savings Account. This would create a powerful incentive for more Americans to own their private health insurance -- making it portable instead of dependent on an employer.
If millions of people go into the marketplace looking for less expensive health insurance, it will drive the insurance companies to create less expensive products that meet individual needs instead of government mandates. Americans should have the option to buy health insurance similar to their auto insurance -- covering major costs while leaving decisions about minor expenses to the consumer -- while those happy with their current coverage can keep it.
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