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Times Herald: Gerlach Offers Alternate Propoosal
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Gerlach offers alternate proposal
By MATT BRETZIUS
Times Herald Staff
The bill, called America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, was introduced in July and outlined provisions for governing health insurance policies and providers in the United States.
Among the highlights of the proposal are a government-run insurance plan that would compete with the private providers, a requirement that all American citizens have some sort of health insurance, a ban on denying coverage due to a person’s pre-existing health condition and a surtax on households with an income more than $350,000 to help pay for the program.
During a meeting with The Times Herald editorial board on Thursday, Pennsylvanian Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6th Dist.) voiced his views on the proposed bill, and discussed his own proposed legislation for what he believes is a better option for health care reform.
"First of all, I think there is no doubt that just about every legislator I know, either Republican or Democrat, House or Senate member, in Washington agrees that there are a number of things we need to do to address the health care issue here in the United States,” Gerlach said. "So what it boils down to is what is the right approach, or the right series of approaches, to properly address that.”
Gerlach went on to say that while the bill, called HR3200, is often associated with President Obama, it is not the president’s own proposal, and there have been some discrepancies in what legislators are hearing.
"Interestingly, there is no president’s proposal. The only proposal that is before us is what’s come out of the House committees in the last month or two, which is HR3200,” he said. "And what’s interesting is some of the things the president is talking about are not included in the bill and some of the things included in the bill is not what the President is talking about.”
And from what Gerlach has read of the proposal, he has some concerns about the bill and the impact it would have on the future of health care in America.
"As much of the bill as I could read to this point, as it’s almost 1,000 pages, I’m very concerned about the direction of the bill. I think it’s leading us down a path where ultimately it’s going to greatly impact if not basically eliminate private insurance as we know it and lead to pushing more and more people into a government-run system that’s going to lead ultimately to rationing of care and delay of care and perhaps in some occasions the provision of care,” he said. "So I’m very concerned about that, and if this is the bill that comes on the floor in September, I’m going to vote against it for that reason.”
Gerlach did not disagree with every aspect of HR3200, however, as there were a few provisions that he found appealing and thought could help the health care reform.
"I think there’s some health and wellness provisions in there that are OK, and really as part of this overall discussion of how we bring down the cost of health care, and part of that is simply trying to have people in better health and better fitness, which would in turn lower the cost of the entire system because many of the chronic illnesses and diseases that end up costing the most are tied to lifestyle decisions,” he said. "Obesity and cigarette smoking to name a few. So I think some of the prevention and wellness provisions are good stuff to move forward with but otherwise, the creation of a government-run program would end up driving people out of their private insurance situations and into a government-run system where bureaucrats are going to be making a lot of decisions on when and if you get the care.
"That’s not the direction most people in my district want us to go, or most people in the United States want us to go.”
Instead, Gerlach, along with several other congressmen including Ron Kind (D-Wis.), is proposing a bipartisan alternative to HR3200 called the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP Act.
"I have a bill with a Democrat, Ron Kind, out of Wisconsin, that really tries to take a more private sector approach to assist small business owners in getting health insurance for their employees at a much lower cost,” he said. "We would do this through a combination or allowing them to pool together on a statewide basis, and eventually even on a nationwide basis, to purchase health insurance, and also provide them tax credits for the insurance they provide to their employees.”
Benefits of the Shop Act include allowing small businesses and the self-employed to join in a pool to get lower health insurance premiums by spreading risk over a larger number of people and keeping prices low by offering a range of private health plans that have to compete for business.
It would also provide an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per employee if the employer pays 60 percent of the employee’s premium and a bonus tax credit for paying more, as well as giving self-employed people a $1,800 tax credit to purchase health insurance.
"We think that’s a better approach ... because that’s a more private sector way to allow employers to continue to provide a benefit they want to provide but at a lower cost by pooling together. To me, that’s a better direction to go to deal with health insurance accessibility and affordability.”
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