Paul Ryan, Republican Congressman from Wisconsin, takes to the Washington Post this morning to describe what real health care reform ought to look like.
Last May, Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Burr and Rep. Devin Nunes and I collaborated to address rising costs while securing access to quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans. The Patients' Choice Act takes on the discriminatory and inflationary tax exclusion, delinking the tax benefit from employers and attaching it to individuals through universal tax credits. The tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage subsidizes insurance instead of health care, hides the true cost of coverage and disproportionately favors the wealthy at the expense of the self-employed, the unemployed and small businesses. Health-care economists across the political spectrum and reform-minded Democrats such as Sen. Ron Wyden identify the backward tax treatment of health care as a problem that must be addressed.
Congressman Ryan's proposal is not new. I mentioned it here over a month ago. It hasn't gotten any publicity because, unlike the president's proposals, it addresses health care reform. The debate that has been occupying the country for the last year has never been about health care. It has always been about extending the government's control over the economy and extending progressive control over the government.
The thrust of the progressive argument in favor of their takeover was captured in the FOX News Sunday interview with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs over the weekend: We need to do this "for the children."
GIBBS: Look, there are — there will be debates — I'm sure there will be later on this show — on the political effects of whether or not we should make sure that people in this country can afford health care, make sure that children aren't discriminated against by — on the basis of a preexisting condition.
It would be one thing if the president were to propose health care reform that would put some downward pressure on health care costs, but that is not the case at all. It's quite the opposite. Increasing coverage and increasing subsidies to provide it will drive costs higher. The way to lower costs is to put the consumer in charge of health care decisions. We could also expand the supply of health care by training more doctors and nurses. The last thing Democrats want is to empower citizens. That's why they argue solely on the basis of fear mongering and guilt. Their plan is a disaster and everybody knows it.
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