Congress, lower health care costs

By Steven Lukan

I have talked with many Iowans about health care reform, and their biggest concern seems to be cost.

While campaigning, Barack Obama planned to reduce costs by $2,500 for the average family. This was a noble goal but legislation on the table in Washington increases taxes and limits options for Americans.

About 85 percent of people have coverage, but Congress has turned its attention to expanding coverage to the 15 percent without, often at the expense of those who do.

The House-passed “reform” bill would extract more subsidies from the young. It mandates that premiums for older Americans be no more than twice that for younger Americans, resulting in a cost shift to younger payers. The young would overpay for insurance to subsidize older payers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid estimate this could raise premiums by $1,000 a year for younger Americans.

The Senate would force deep cuts to Medicare spending, $500 billion in total. While this makes the plan affordable, it is likely to increase spending by senior citizens for the Medicare Supplement plans they buy to augment their basic plans.

New taxes are also part of the Senate plan, hitting middle-income women hard with a proposed tax on cosmetic surgery.

The Senate includes funding for a government-run plan called a public option. The federal treasury is already in deep trouble, and federal lawmakers should look to the state of Washington for an example of what a taxpayer-funded plan can mean. There, a basic health care plan is offered at taxpayer expense; 65,000 citizens enrolled, but more than 80,000 are on a waiting list. This is simply rationing of care. Taxpayers don't have the money to cover these people, so they are denied.

The problems with health care should not be a partisan issue. We need leaders in Washington to focus on ways to improve access and lower costs.

This fall, Iowa Republicans put forth a plan that moves in this direction (view it at www.iowa

houserepublicans.com).

We proposed to prevent insurers from excluding pre-existing conditions from coverage when you change plans under the same company. And we are working to let health insurers offer discounts for healthy living choices.

Our plan would have the state doing all it can to help small business get the same tax advantages for providing health care coverage as do the Fortune 500 companies. Our Patients Right to Know act would also help Iowans better understand their health choices and associated costs.

Let's hope that our leaders in Congress work closer to the president's original goal of lowering costs, not raising them.

Steven Lukan, Republican from New Vienna, represents District 32 in the Iowa House of Representatives.