Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Since ratified as law, the Affordable Care Act has confused an already complex and wasteful healthcare system. What Americans need are more options, not mandates.

I believe that Congress must do everything it can to help working families in Arizona obtain access to affordable health insurance, but I do not believe mandating health insurance coverage by law is appropriate, or constitutional.

Dictating individuals' health patterns and behaviors through mandates and taxes on procedures, payment plans to doctors, and everyday medical devices is not a recipe for improved access to affordable or quality healthcare. Improving the health and livelihood of every American starts by improving transparency and simplicity between caregivers and cost providers. Revealing the realities of healthcare costs and encouraging the free market to compete to offer lower-cost, higher-quality healthcare is key to building a system that strives to cover all Americans with consistent, quality, affordable care. In response to this belief, I cosponsored the American Helath Care Reform Act--a bill that repeals and replaces Obamacare with a patient-centric option for healthcare reform.

The articles below highlight a few of my concerns with the Affordable Care Act's security, effects on small business, and what I'm doing in Congress to change our options entirely:

- The American Health Care Reform Act | The complete text of the bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and related reconciliation provisions to promote patient-centered health care

- House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology letter to the President | Security & Privacy Issues

Mr. Kennedy gave a demonstration of real vulnerabilities with Healthcare.gov, showing how hackers are attempting to access personal information on the websites. According to his testimony, not only is this website vulnerable, it's under active attach=k. Even more troubling, Mr. Kennedy testified that there are "clear indicators that even basic security was not build into the Healthcare.gov website."

- USA TODAY | Obamacare Hurts My Small Business

My firm, which has fewer than 20 employees, recently received our renewal package for next year's health insurance plan. It read: "Your current coverage is no longer being offered, but we've provided you with a great alternative" -- an estimated 48% increase in premiums. That translates into approximately $1,676 in added costs per year for every individual covered on our plan ($6,704 for a family of four). That's approximately $44,000 in added annual costs that could otherwise be used to hire a college graduate.

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