Issue Position: Healthcare
Issue Position
There is a real need of reform in our healthcare system to reduce costs and expand access to quality care for all Americans. We must also protect the sanctity of human life and prevent the misuse of federal taxpayer dollars for abortion.
Repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
I am flatly opposed to any sort of healthcare overhaul that would add billions of dollars to our deficit, raise taxes, destroy jobs, and cause Americans to lose their current coverage. That is why I voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, and now support its full repeal. I was one of the first Members of Congress to sign a pledge vowing to support legislation that would (1) repeal any government takeover of healthcare passed in 2010 and (2) support real, commonsense reforms focused on lowering costs and increasing accessibility.
Replacing PPACA with Cost-Saving Reforms
Rather than passing costly government mandates, Congress should work toward commonsense reforms that lower costs, expand access to quality medical care, and protect the sacred doctor-patient relationship. I believe there is broad support for proposals like allowing individuals to purchase coverage across state lines, expanding Health Savings Accounts, and enacting meaningful tort reform.
Protecting the Sanctity of Human Life
As a pro-life Member of Congress, I oppose the misuse of federal taxpayer dollars for abortion services. As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I will work to pass legislation -- such as Representative Joe Pitts' Protect Life Act -- to permanently codify restrictions on federal abortion funding. I have supported both the successful ban on partial-birth abortion and the passage of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which recognizes an unborn child as a legal victim. I have also supported efforts to criminalize the circumvention of parental notification laws and have fought to uphold the "conscience clause," which protects healthcare providers who refuse to provide abortion services.
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