Saturday, February 27, 2010

Tom Coburn -- "Federal and state governments already control 60 percent of health care."


Hello, I’m Dr. Tom Coburn, a practicing physician from Oklahoma and a member of the United States Senate. 

[....]

The American people have rejected the majority’s plan for good reason. Their plan includes half a trillion dollars in new tax increases, a half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, job-killing penalties for employers, taxpayer funded abortion and new boards that will ration care to American citizens. At its core, their plan continues a government-centered approach that has made health care more expensive. Federal and state governments already control 60 percent of health care. If more government spending and control was the answer we could have fixed health care long ago. 

Republicans in Congress have a different vision for reform. We have put forward several proposals that lay out a common sense step-by-step path to reform. Our solutions are patient-centered, not government-centered. We believe in expanding options, not government; increasing access, not taxes; and reducing costs, not quality. Most importantly, we believe that no one has the right to step between you and your doctor.
That's key:  "Federal and state governments already control 60 percent of health care. If more government spending and control was the answer we could have fixed health care long ago." All the rest is commentary.