Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Today, nearly 60 percent of Americans receive their health insurance from their employer. Finding ways to providing access to health care for Arizona families does not require a government takeover of our health system or a massive new bureaucracy. Instead, I believe we can extend care to those in need through a few simple, commonsense, pro-growth steps. These include:

Allow individuals to shop for insurance across state lines: Right now, individuals have the ability to shop for auto, home, and life insurance from multiple companies. Allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines will inject the same type of choice and competition into health insurance markets and allow families to shop for the most affordable plan.

Association health plans: Many individuals receive insurance through their employers. An alternative to this approach is to allow groups to form health insurance plans over different associations like a church, local chamber of commerce, or alumni association. Doing so would provide access to coverage without tying insurance directly to a job.

High risk pools: In cases where an individual cannot access care due to a chronic or pre-existing condition, state-based high risk pools with federal backing can provide access to insurance.

Use the tax code to help families buy insurance: Currently, the tax code rewards those who receive employer sponsored care with a tax free benefit while punishing those who purchase health insurance on the individual market by providing no benefit at all. This can be changed by providing a tax credit to those who purchase individual health insurance policies.

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