Issue Position: Health Care
Issue Position
As a health care provider for over twenty-five years and a member of the Doctors Caucus, Dr. Gosar has lead the charge in the House to reform the health care system and put forth free market solutions that increase access and decrease costs to the consumer.
Obamacare is broken and needs to be repealed. It is a failed, big government solution that contradicts what Americans actually need in a health care system. Instead of responding to America's call for greater choice and more affordable health care options, President Obama's signature legislation created thousands of pages of new mandates and taxes that have interfered with the doctor-patient relationship. An estimated 4.7 million cancellations and counting have gone out, despite repeated claims from the President that "If you like your health care, you can keep your health care. Period."
Obamacare should be replaced with a health care system that focuses on quality care, choice, access, affordability and free-market solutions. Paul supports tort reform and allowing small businesses to pool together to negotiate better rates. Dr. Gosar believes we must implement a system that allows patients to be in control of their health care, instead of one that empowers government bureaucrats and health insurance companies.
Obamacare is, in large part, what motivated Dr. Gosar to run for Congress. That is how devastating he believes this law is to the future of this country. It is a job-killer: The National Federation of Independent Business, the largest organization representing American small business, estimates that the law will cost 1.6 million jobs. It punishes American people and businesses by levying hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes. As our nation's baby boomers prepare for retirement, Obamacare leaves Medicare in a death spiral as current estimates show Medicare Part A will be insolvent in a matter of years.
Obamacare is unconstitutional to boot, both in statute and in practice: the individual mandate stomps on the principles our Founders intended while the Department of Health and Human Services has exercised its authority under this law to enact a decision that violates our First Amendment right to religious freedom.
Dr. Gosar has voted more than 40 times to repeal or defund Obamacare.
A key component to reform must include a serious look at medical liability tort reform. The threat of medical malpractice lawsuits has decreased access to quality specialists in fields such as obstetrics and neurology, while a Harvard University study shows that defensive medicine costs our system nearly $46 billion dollars. Dr. Gosar understands the importance of medical liability reform for the future of medicine.
Dr. Gosar has introduced the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, legislation that eliminates the health insurance industry's exemption from fair competition laws. Repealing this unfair advantage that the insurance industry has had over patients will increase competition, lower prices for consumers and prevent collusion in health insurance markets. Dr. Gosar passed this legislation through the House as amendment in the 112th Congress and the importance of this legislation was recognized when House Republicans recently released their health care plank of their "Better Way" plan.
Dr. Gosar has introduced the bipartisan Dental Insurance Act, patient-centered legislation that will increase access to quality dental care.
Paul is a cosponsor of multiple bills and has voted multiple times to repeal Obamacare's Medical Device Tax. This unjust tax now found is Section 4191 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a 2.3% excise sales tax on certain medical devices. This tax harms patients and increases costs for healthcare providers.
Dr. Gosar strongly opposes the IPAB board made up of 15 unelected bureaucrats that was created by Obamacare.
Paul is a coauthor and original cosponsor of the American Health Care Reform Act, legislation that is a free-market alternative to Obamacare. This bill fully repeals and replaces Obamacare with a patient-centered system that would actually work.
Dr. Gosar is an active member in the House GOP Doctors Caucus. Nearly 20 medical providers in Congress participate in the Caucus and use their medical expertise to develop healthcare reforms that focus on patients, quality care, portability, choice, access and affordability.
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