Healthcare

Access to affordable, high-quality healthcare is a critical component of a productive and vibrant society. Unfortunately, due to government intrusion, many Americans cannot afford the care and treatment they need.

Each of our 50 states has different populations with different health-care needs, so Senator Lee believes there is no reason all Americans should be forced to purchase the same “essential health benefits” package while shopping for health insurance. Good health-care policy is flexible and customizable, since what is essential to one family or individual may not be essential to another.

While Senator Lee opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, he believes the problems of federal intervention in the health-care sector started decades earlier. Exempting employer-provided health insurance from taxation was one of the first issues that inappropriately incentivized the employer-sponsored model over the individual consumer model. For many Americans, this has resulted in fewer insurance choices and has tied them to their jobs.

While immediately ending the tax deduction for healthcare provided through an employer would be unsettling for many Americans, Senator Lee believes its reform must be a topic for debate. But possibly the most important health-care reform needed is a liberalization of health savings accounts. Freeing these accounts from federal government restrictions could allow Americans to save more for their health-care needs, allow them to transfer from jobs without losing their insurance, and equip them to be more active and engaged consumers. With a more informed consumer base, its influence over the market could truly turn things around, improving quality, cost, and accessibility.

Additionally, Senator Lee believes Congress must reform the Food and Drug Administration to make medical devices and drugs (and their generics) available sooner and at a lower cost. Medicaid must also be addressed to ensure it is targeted for the truly vulnerable who are unable to provide for themselves, such as children, pregnant women, and the disabled; and reforms must be made to the Department of Health and Human Services so that all life, including the lives of the unborn and the elderly, is always protected.