Poliquin Sends Letter to Entire Republican Conference, Suggests 14 Reforms to Improve Health Care System

Congressman Poliquin highlights needed health care improvements as GOP Task Force begins its work

WASHINGTON – This week, Maine’s Second District Congressman, Bruce Poliquin, delivered a letter to the entire Republican Conference highlighting important reforms to the Affordable Care Act, known as ObamaCare.

Poliquin attached his letter from May 2015 to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, which outlines 14 suggested reforms to the health care law.

Poliquin delivered his reforms to the Republican Conference in light of the newly created Task Force on Health Care Reform’s launch last week.

In his letter to his colleagues, Congressman Poliquin writes:

“I strongly advocate for these changes based on many conversations with Maine residents and small business owners, who have described their experiences with the job-killing mandates and smothering costs of a government-run health insurance market.

“As our Conference engages in thoughtful debate on a replacement for ObamaCare, I ask that we seize this opportunity to institute common sense and free market health care policy for American Families.”

In May 2015, Congressman Poliquin sent a letter to then-Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Chairmen Fred Upton (R-MI) and John Kline (R-MN) expressing his concerns with ObamaCare and offering 14 free-market solutions to the President’s health care law.  Congressman Poliquin’s  reforms include:

• Require hospitals and doctors to provide patients with the estimated costs of health care services and procedures so they can shop for the best care at the lowest price. This will reduce monthly health insurance premiums by driving down the underlying cost of health care.
• Allow insurance companies to share savings with patients when services and procedures of comparable quality are purchased outside of the health care plan’s network at below average costs.
• Allow individuals, families, and businesses to shop across state lines for the health insurance plans that fit their needs and pocketbooks.
• Remove the mandates for unnecessary and expensive health care services and procedures to be covered by all health insurance plans.
• Allow affordable high-deductible and low- premium health care policies to be offered by insurance companies.
• Allow small businesses and other organizations to band together while negotiating the purchase of the health insurance plans that best meets their needs at costs they can afford.
• Allow insurance companies to charge much less for health care plans sold to younger individuals and those who make healthy lifestyle choices.
• Require insurance companies to provide coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions.
• Require health insurance plans to be portable when workers change jobs.
• Allow states to establish reinsurance pools that provide affordable health insurance to those who need high levels of health care services.
• Allow health insurance policies to be purchased with pre-tax dollars.
• Expand the use of tax-free health saving accounts by allowing the funds to pay for monthly premiums as well as out-of-pocket expenses.
• Allow families to buy primary health care services directly from their doctors of choice, and then purchase inexpensive high-deductible policies to insure against catastrophic illness.
• Do not allow the IRS to fine or penalize individuals who choose not to purchase health insurance.

This year, Speaker Ryan announced the creation of six committee-led task forces within the Republican Conference to focus on and develop an agenda for major priorities for Congress.

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Click HERE to see a PDF version of Congressman Poliquin’s letter to the Republican Conference.

Click HERE to see a PDF version of Congressman Poliquin’s May 2015 letter to Chairmen Ryan, Kline and Upton.