12 Commitments / Health Care

I will give Americans more control over and access to health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions.



gAmerica 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. Thatfs the American way to reform health care.h - Mayor Rudy Giuliani

EMPOWER PATIENTS AND FAMILIES, NOT THE GOVERNMENT

Expand Choice Through Tax Code Reform: Americafs 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. Rudyfs 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 statefs 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 statefs success in promoting preventative care and tracking obesity for children.