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10 Essential Principles of Health Care Reform

CHT has developed the following 10 principles which we believe must be included in any major health reform bill:

1. Every American should be encouraged and incentivized to take personal responsibility for his or her health.
2. Every American should have genuine access to quality, cost-effective care that best meets his or her individual needs.
3. Every American should have health insurance coverage (private or public) that is affordable, accessible, and portable-no matter where he or she chooses to work or live.
4. Health care providers should deliver the best possible care based upon best evidence or best practice.
5. Every provider of care, from doctors and nurses to pharmacists and hospitals, should be interconnected with an electronic health record for every American.
6. Payment to providers should be based on the quality of care delivered, not the number of transactions or services provided.
7. Cost, quality, and performance information should be available and accessible to all consumers.
8. Government should promote and encourage competitive, market-based solutions in the private sector.
9. Government should offer effective, efficient, and sustainable public programs for those who need them.
10. Government should aggressively invest in targeted clinical research, laying the foundations for future breakthroughs and cures.

What’s So Bad About Universal Health Care?
This was the question I confronted when I was interviewed by a delegation of reporters from a Danish television station’s New York bureau on May 7. But something different from the stereotypical “What’s so bad about Universal Healthcare?” question had been posed. The questioners were different from anyone I had been confronted by before. These people were themselves Europeans who actually wanted to know why America was so far behind when it came to universal health care.

The reporters I was speaking with were not the typical American agenda-driven liberals from the mainstream press engaging in “gotcha” journalism. These reporters really wanted to know.

Their want was also something personal. As Europeans, and especially as Danes, universal health care is a common, prevalent, and often seen aspect of their daily lives. These reporters honestly wanted to know why the most powerful country in the world is “behind the curve” of what seems to be the latest advancement in health care. These reporters seemed to be saying that if Europe does it, everyone should do it, and by saying this, they reflected a sentiment shared by many all over Europe.

Why, they seemed to plead, is America not accepting the advice of Europe? Why is the greatest country in the world not listening to her ally Great Britain, for example, which has enacted universal health care? The beliefs, and emotions, of these reporters reflect the thoughts of many Europeans: that America’s policies are most successful when they meet up with the policies of Europe. The question now is whether or not the policies of American and Europe should be the same on health care.

The "What’s so bad about universal health care, Europe does it, why shouldn’t we?” is intended to be leading, almost rhetorical. The mainstream press, as well as many liberal politicians, would answer that there is no reason that we should not enact universal health care, if for no other reason except that it is normal in Europe. They say that if it is good enough for a plurality of countries -- Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, just to name a few -- then it should be good enough for America as well.

But their argument is poorly constructed. If, for example, Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, and others instituted a law that said everyone must jump off a bridge, would we institute the law in America also? Europe is Europe; let it burn its health care system to the ground if it wants to, but as for America, let us make our own decisions.

America is constantly plagued by leaders and citizens of European countries who advocate America socializing its medical system. Europeans say that it has worked for them. The fact is many people who say this have either never experienced enough economic freedom to understand, or they have never been taught the difference between the value of a capitalist healthcare system and a governmentally-controlled socialized medical system.

When a board of government officials runs the world of medicine -- as President Obama’s proposal would have it -- how can anyone who had studied history believe it will get better rather than worse? When the government puts all other health care companies out of business, won’t there be a number of serious economic concerns, as well as a number of serious problems for the taxpayer’s pocket, not to mention the great many private sector jobs that will be lost because private health care institutions are unable to compete with the government? Just because Europeans promote it, doesn’t mean that it is in America’s best economic interest.

Moreover, which country gets more immigrating persons annually, Denmark or the United States? Hands down, the United States. Some estimate 12,000,000 people have crossed the border of the United States illegally, and the number continues to grow, because they want to experience things such as our health care system. Can Denmark say that a similar number of people choose the same desperate measures to get across their border so that they can experience European countries?

No. America is the nation people emigrate to, not from, because we have a great health care system, a great economy, and because we have a free and independent private sector. Neither Denmark nor any of the other European universal healthcare nations is as vigorously sought after because none have any of these things.

Europe’s government-dominated economies are suffering more in this recession because they choose to institute unnecessary, harmful, government programs; and America is successful, to be brutally honest, because it avoids doing almost everything that Europe wants it to.

America is a nation that has a free economy, and, in turn, a private-sector health care system. Many liberals, however, propose that we make America less unique among the nations of the world. They want to assimilate America into European styles and tone down health care. We fought a war in the 1770s and 1780s to rid ourselves of other countries determining our fate. Why should we do everything with the consultation of foreign power now? We shouldn’t. John Adams said it best, “I cannot express it better than in his [John Jay’s] own words: ‘to be honest and grateful to our allies, but to think for ourselves.’ ”

HOW OBAMA WILL RUIN HEALTH CARE
 
Next month, Obama will begin the push for his health care "reform." It threatens our medical system and would impair the care each one of us receives.  Please watch this video where I spell out what is at stake. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qp8JdeSHlk

7 Liberal Myths About Health Care
To hear liberals in Congress tell the story, the American health care system is crumbling before our very eyes, the unwashed masses are desperate for a solution, and only the United States government can save us. But a recent poll of 1,200 registered U.S. voters provides a striking contrast between voter attitudes toward health care reform and some oft-repeated myths being pushed in media and on Capitol Hill.

Here’s a look at seven of the most common myths, versus what American voters actually think:

Myth #1: Americans are clamoring for health care reform.
They aren’t. Only 5% of voters cite health care as either the top issue facing the country, as the biggest problem facing their daily lives or even as the greatest fear they have for themselves or their families. In fact when given a specific list of issues to choose from, health care comes in far behind the top concerns of 95% of American voters.

Myth #2: The U.S. Health Care system needs a complete overhaul.
Says who? Not American voters. Slightly more voters (47%) say that our health care system can be fixed with some minor reforms versus those who say it needs a radical overhaul (44%).

Myth #3: Coverage for the uninsured is the major problem facing the U.S. Health Care system.
By nearly a 3 to 1 margin, these voters see rising health care and health insurance costs as the biggest problem over too many being without insurance coverage. While government takeover advocates are fond of talking about millions of uninsured Americans, they generally fail to mention that many of those are uninsured by choice, or only temporarily uninsured. Yet this single misleading statistic remains a favorite of Congressional liberals as they make the case for a government takeover.

Myth #4: Government, not free market competition, is the best way to reduce health care costs.
Again, false. Clear majorities say that MORE competition among health care providers will do more to lower costs than increased government involvement. Further, pluralities believe that increased government involvement will cause health care costs and insurance premiums to go up. Americans undoubtedly feel this way because there are few (if any) examples where government involvement in any endeavor, let alone health care, actually caused prices to go down.

Myth #5: Americans are more open/accepting of government-run health care solution.
A clear and strong majority of voters prefer a private run health care system over a government-run system. Fully 55% of American voters say, if given the choice, they would opt for a private health care solution over a government solution. Only 37% would opt for a government takeover of health care.

Myth #6: Americans understand we must sacrifice to ensure coverage for all.
When pitted head to head, large majorities of voters (69%) choose a private run health care system that doesn’t cover all Americans, but protects everyone’s fundamental right to make their own health care choices, over a government-run system that covers everyone but restricts certain health care options (18%).

Myth #7: Americans want a health care system more like Canada and/or Great Britain.
Voters have mixed opinions about the Canadian and British health care systems with a sizeable number not having a firm opinion on either. But, more than 3 in 4 voters say they would most prefer to get treatment or health care services here in the U.S. over either Canada or Great Britain.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom in Washington, voters are NOT willing to commit to a radical overhaul of our health care system. They are clearly suspicious of more government involvement and think it won’t drive down costs -- which is their biggest complaint about the current health care system. A clear and large majority still prefer a private-run over a government-run system. Moreover, when faced with the potential choice of giving up their fundamental health care rights to ensure universal coverage, majorities are unwilling to do so.

In sharp contrast to these myths, American voters enthusiastically rally around the basic reform principles promoted by Conservatives for Patients’ Rights -- Choice, Competition, Accountability and Personal Responsibility, by overwhelming margins. For example, 87% of voters believe individuals should receive the same tax breaks as employers when buying health insurance. An astounding 97% want the freedom to choose their own doctor without restriction from government or insurance plans. And 87% of Americans want health care providers and doctors to publicly post their prices so they can shop and compare.

As the health care debate continues, it is clear that Americans overwhelmingly demand free market health care. As others continue to push myths, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights will continue to educate Americans on the real agenda of Congressional health care reform, promote our key principles and serve as an early warning system against more government boards and power grabs.

 
Obama Healthcare Policy Provide Universal Health Care and Lower Health Costs
Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of their first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care coverage. Their plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on medical expenditures by providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American; modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.

1 Obama Failed Healthcare Policy: "The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system. The proposal is politically problematic for President Obama, however, since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as 'the largest middle-class tax increase in history.' " -- New York Times, 3/14

2 Obama Failed Healthcare Policy: Health care in the United States is NOT broken. Every individual already has access to health care in both a preventative and emergency care. Leave our private system alone and fix the government run V.A. Obama will use government intervention in all areas and ruin the best health care system in the world.

3 Obama Failed Healthcare Policy: “Signing universal health legislation by the end of our first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care.”---Obama Providing Universal Health Care and Lower Health Costs is a fallacy and continues BO’s socialism policies to control everything from DC and ruin capitalism as we know it. None of BO’s policies have anything to do with bettering America, only redistributing wealth to “poor his people” and labor unions. There is nothing wrong with health care as it is. Anyone that has ever been to a VA health facility or ever waited for hours in a college infirmary can attest to leaving our health care system alone. BTW- Not your “first term in office”, your only term.