I will give Americans more control over and access to health care with
affordable and portable free-market solutions.
“America
is at a crossroads when it comes to our health care. All Americans want to
increase the quality, affordability and portability of health care. Most
Republicans believe in free-market solutions to the challenges we face. I
believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality of care by increasing
competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not tax hikes. We can do it by
empowering patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. That’s the
American way to reform health care.” - Mayor Rudy Giuliani
EMPOWER PATIENTS AND FAMILIES, NOT THE
GOVERNMENT
Expand Choice Through Tax Code Reform: America’s tax system
penalizes millions of citizens without access to employer health care, including
40 percent of employees at small firms. Americans without employer-based
insurance should have tax benefits just as the 175 million Americans with
employment-based coverage do. Rudy proposes an income exclusion of up to $15,000
for those without employer coverage to make insurance more affordable.
Help Low-Income Individuals and Families Secure Health
Insurance: Rudy proposes a Health Insurance Credit to low-income
Americans that can be coupled with other revenue sources such as Medicaid and
employer contributions to make coverage more affordable to millions of the
uninsured.
Drive Quality and Price Transparency: Rudy believes creating
visibility of price, provider qualifications, and risk-adjusted procedure
outcomes will expand competition and open up new motivation for improving
quality and reducing cost.
TRANSFORM BUREAUCRACIES AND CHANGE HEALTH CARE
DELIVERY
Reform the Medical Liability Legal System: Defensive
medicine is a tremendous burden on our nation with liability insurance in some
states costing over $200,000 for OB/GYNs. Rudy’s commitment to end frivolous
lawsuits without limiting compensation for real economic loss is key to
comprehensive health care reform.
Reward States For Innovative Solutions: Rudy will encourage
states to improve health care quality and make health insurance more affordable
by offering block grants to encourage innovation, reduce health costs, enroll
eligible uninsured, and solve adverse selection issues.
Require Availability of Low-Cost Insurance Options:
Regulation must not deny access to affordable coverage, and currently over 1,900
state mandates limit coverage options and increase costs from 20 to 45 percent.
If a state’s mandates prevent affordable health care coverage, citizens should
be allowed to purchase coverage through interstate markets.
Save Lives and Reduce Costs by Streamlining the FDA Process:
Rudy will bring greater accountability and efficiency to the evaluation process
for new drugs by ensuring that government regulation does not delay new cures or
needlessly cost lives. The current process is so regulated that a new drug takes
12-15 years to get to the market.
Invest In Health IT to Reduce Medical Errors, Improve Efficiency, and
Detect Health Threats: Each year, thousands of hospital deaths are
attributed to preventable medical errors. Public-private partnerships to improve
and set standards for health IT without overbearing regulations can play a major
role in improving care and reducing costs.
REFORM HEALTH CARE COVERAGE TO PROMOTE A HEALTHIER
AMERICA
Improve and Expand Health Savings Accounts: Health savings
accounts provide incentives for consumers to maximize the value of services
tailored to their needs. Rudy will expand access to these accounts by
simplifying the rules and regulations so that insurance coverage will meet the
health care goals of individuals and families.
Infuse Incentives in Insurance Markets That Promote Wellness and
Better Outcomes for Chronic Diseases: Health insurance must be
redefined to cover wellness as well as sickness. In conjunction with
recommendations from doctors and nurses, Rudy will propose new initiatives to
promote healthy lifestyles and wellness programs, and tie Medicaid payments to a
state’s success in promoting preventative care and tracking obesity for
children.