Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

We must make quality health care accessible while making it affordable for individuals and businesses alike.

Exploding costs are crippling private employers and all levels of government. The increasing cost of health care is one of the biggest obstacles to creating and keeping good jobs here in Northeast Wisconsin. We need leadership to stand up for the taxpayers, the consumers of health care, and the private employers of our region.

I will work to:

Fight efforts to end Medicare as we know it that cost each senior citizen more $6000 a year for worse coverage while increasing overall health care spending. Seniors have already paid taxes to fund their Medicare coverage. Breaking our promise to them is simply wrong.
Encourage people to take responsibility for their health. Plans that reward people for good habits improve health and reduce costs.

Reduce the cost of health care for businesses and for taxpayers by promoting market competition in health plans. Costs, benefits, and results must be more transparent so consumers can compare plans and assess quality more easily.
Reward doctors and hospitals who produce good outcomes for patients, and eliminate incentives for costly and unnecessary tests and procedures.

Provide incentives for efficiency in health plans. Far too much money is wasted on excessive overhead, paperwork and administration costs.
Eliminate the vast amount of waste and fraud we still find in Medicare and Medicaid.

Oppose efforts to allow insurers to drop or reject people with pre-existing conditions.
Save up to hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars by allowing Medicare to use its buying power to negotiate lower prices from drug companies, just like the Veterans Administration already does.

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