Brownback Outlines Health Care Reform Plan

Brownback Outlines Health Care Reform Plan

Reform measures would increase choice, improve price transparency

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today described a health care reform plan in a speech at the Cerner Corporation in Kansas City.

"Most Americans do not feel like they have control over their health care options and they resign themselves to playing a passive role in a complex system," said Senator Brownback. "We can take steps to address the rising costs and complexity of our health care system by increasing price transparency, changing the tax code to be less biased against individual purchasers of health insurance, and using new technology to give consumers improved access to their health records."

Last week Brownback introduced the Medicare Payment Rate Disclosure Act, which would establish a central internet location that lists common medical costs. This plan would allow people to visit a single web site to choose affordable and local health care services.

Brownback continued, "The American consumer values his freedom to shop around for the best prices. Price transparency will help consumers make more informed health care decisions and will introduce price competition into the health care market, which encourages efficiency and competition."

Brownback discussed a strategy to address the crisis of uninsured Americans by offering the same tax breaks that companies enjoy to individuals who purchase health insurance plans.

"Because our tax code is biased toward employer purchases of health care, many people do not have health insurance," said Brownback. "Employers receive significant tax breaks when buying health coverage, but individuals who purchase health insurance must use after-tax dollars. We should offer tax breaks to individuals similar to those already offered to employers so that we can help make health care more affordable for low-income and uninsured Americans."

Brownback also outlined the importance of a consumer's access to health records throughout his lifetime. "Another important step to reforming the health care system is ensuring that consumers have access to their health records over their entire lifetime," said Brownback. "Studies show that improved and portable electronic health records can lower the number of unnecessary treatments, which can lead to billions of dollars in savings. I hope to introduce legislation in Congress that would bring such accounts closer to reality."

Senator Brownback is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=253772&&days=365&