Issue Position: Health Care & Retirement

Issue Position

Issue Position: Health Care & Retirement

Health Care & Retirement
"We must reform our health care system to make certain that every individual has access to quality medical services, regardless of race, age, or medical condition. A government takeover of our health care system is not the answer. Good choices in a health care system built on free market principles ultimately translate into higher quality and better care."

-- Senator John Cornyn

Skyrocketing health care costs are the number one concern of many American families and small businesses. Lowering the cost of health care - without limiting access or choices - will also help make health care more affordable for millions of uninsured Americans. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Cornyn is working to ensure that our nation chooses the right path to reform our health care system.

Senator Cornyn believes that we need to take the time to choose the right reforms. We must listen to patients and providers, to families and small businesses. We need to answer their questions. We need to ensure that their hopes for reform are met with practical solutions.

Senator Cornyn Wants Patients Back in Charge

* Senator Cornyn wants patients to have more control over their health care.
* Senator Cornyn wants patients to have better information on the cost and quality of their care - so they can make informed decisions with their doctors.
* Senator Cornyn wants patients to have a choice of providers that compete for their business - in a disciplined market that works for patients and plays by the rules.
* Senator Cornyn wants to ensure that our tax and legal systems treat all patients fairly.
* Senator Cornyn wants to end the cost-shifting that has resulted in higher premiums, smaller paychecks, tax increases, and more public debt.

Washington Control is Not the Solution

* A "public plan" for all would lead to higher costs - and eventually higher taxes. The Washington-run Medicare program wastes $60 billion every year through fraud, and has more than $37 trillion in unfunded liabilities.
* Formulas based on "comparative effectiveness" would put government between patients and their doctors - and lead to delay of treatment or denial of care.
* A "Pay-or-Play Mandate" on employers would hit workers with lower wages and fewer job opportunities.
* Social Security is a sacred promise to America's seniors and must be preserved for future generations.
* I believe we can protect, preserve and personalize Social Security, turning it from a cross-generation funding mechanism into a self-supporting system and making it viable for all future generations. Current workers should be able to decide how a portion of the money they pay into the Social Security Trust Fund will be invested.
* Our healthcare system is deteriorating under the weight of an explosion in medical malpractice claims. It is imperative that we streamline legal procedures, encourage binding arbitration to decrease litigation costs, and speed both dismissal of frivolous suits and payment of legitimate plaintiffs' full economic losses.
* I recognize the importance of retirement plans to our Seniors, and I support efforts to improve 401 (k) plans, IRAs and other retirement programs.

Some of Senator Cornyn's Acheivements include:

* Helped create a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for Seniors: Senator Cornyn was a strong supporter of the Medicare Prescription Dug, Improvement and Modernization Act, which, for the first time, provided Medicare beneficiaries with a prescription drug benefit and expanded health plan options.
* Supports the Expansion of Health Savings Accounts: Original cosponsor of legislation to expand the availability and flexibility of health savings accounts in order to give individuals greater control over their health care expenditures.
* Fighting for Texas Small Business Health Plans: Cosponsored the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization Act, which would allow small businesses in Texas, and around the country, to join together nationally to sponsor affordable health insurance plans for their workers.
* Promoting Health in the Workplace: Introduced bipartisan legislation in the 110th and 111th Congress to encourage better, healthier lifestyles in the workforce. The Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act would correct an inequity in the tax code, allowing employers to deduct the cost of both on and off-site fitness centers on a pre-tax basis.
* Leading Efforts to Curb Youth Smoking and Address Health Costs: Introduced bipartisan legislation, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, that will give the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products in order to keep tobacco manufacturers from enticing young people to smoke and to assist current smokers in quitting. In the state of Texas alone, in 2004, taxpayers spent a total of $5.831 billion in medical expenses and a total of $1.62 billion in direct Medicaid costs to pay for smoking-related illnesses.
* Strengthening Patient Safety: Strong supporter of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, which created and implements a voluntary system of medical error reporting, so that preventable medical errors are identified and actions can be taken to ensure that they do not re-occur. This reporting is critical to efforts to ensure patient safety and improve the quality of patient care.

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