ANOTHER SERIOUS CONSERVATIVE HEALTH PLAN

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Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, has joined a host of other Republicans in the House of Representatives by crafting another serious conservative alternative to the health plans that the President and the Democratic leadership are trying to push through Congress.

"Having practiced medicine for more than two decades, I personally know that the status quo must not stand. Whether coming from the federal government or an insurance company, the third-party decision making that drives our health care delivery system is increasingly distancing patients from quality care. Going down the path of more government will only compound the problem,"

says Dr. Price, who was a practicing physician for nearly 25 years before coming to Congress. Price's

"Empower Patients First Act,"

would:

• Fix the unfairness in the tax treatment of health insurance by extending a tax credit or deduction to those without employer-sponsored insurance;
• Use automatic enrollment, with a right to "opt out" of health insurance coverage, and promote defined-contributions for employer plans, instead of using government coercion and mandates, to expand coverage;
• Establish health plan portals in the states so that patients can own and control their own health insurance;
• Offer low-income Americans the option of a voucher to purchase private coverage; and
• Give states incentives to experiment with how best to cover high cost individuals.

For months President Obama has suggested that on health reform the choice is between the Democrats plans before Congress or the status quo. Congressional conservatives, like Rep. Price, have offered other serious legislative proposals that include practical health care solutions, only to have them all closed out of consideration by the majority party.

It's time for official Washington to stop demonizing its critics and ordinary citizens who are opposed to its health care agenda. There's many good ideas being proposed that would actually increase the quality of health care for the patients - but the President and the Congressional leadership need to get serious about listening to them...

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