We need policies that provide the individual patient with more knowledge and more choices in health care decisions.

With the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate from the bluest of blue states- Massachusetts- the healthcare debate will change in Washington DC. Brown specifically campaigned as the 41st vote against the healthcare bill being considered in the Senate and the voters of Massachusetts elected him.
More than that, Brown’s election became a rallying point for people all over the United States who saw his election as a way to tell Washington that they weren’t buying what Congressional Democrats were selling on healthcare legislation. Money and manpower poured into the Brown campaign in the closing weeks of the election from all over the country. The message from voters to Congress is now clear: ignore us at your peril in 2010.

The President and Congressional leaders should take this opportunity to refocus the healthcare debate. There is an old saying: you don’t kill a fly with a sledgehammer. Clearly there are reforms which should be made to the healthcare system; the question is whether to take a market based approach or a one-size-fits-all, centrally planned government approach. I would argue forcefully for the former, and it seems as though the majority of Americans who say they oppose the current healthcare bill agree.

The United States has a health insurance problem, moreso than a healthcare problem. In most cases, the employer owns the insurance policy, and patients are completely disconnected from the actual cost of their healthcare. Would you give your credit card to someone you didn’t know and ask them to go food shopping for you- and not ask to see the receipt? Of course not. They’d have no incentive to shop for a good deal and might even buy things you didn’t want.

Yet this is exactly what happens every day in healthcare: you pay your $20 co-pay with no idea of what you’re paying for. It only costs you 20 bucks, so you don’t object, and your doctor knows that more than likely he’ll be paid for whatever procedures or tests he performs. Neither patient nor medical provider has proper incentives to increase healthcare quality and/or decrease its costs.

Your policy also covers a whole host of things that you may not want or need, yet you are forced to pay for them. If your cable TV company told you that in order to subscribe you had to pay for HBO, Cinemax, and Starz, whether you wanted to or not, you’d think they were crazy.
True health insurance reform requires implementing a “patient-centered” approach which will give the proper incentives, responsibilities and choices to both patient and healthcare provider.

We can do this in the following ways:

1) Encourage individual ownership of insurance policies - The current tax rules that allow employers to own our insurance and receive the tax benefit for it, should instead provide those deductions to individuals. Businesses would then be free to pay a large portion of the money they save on an employee’s healthcare back to the employee in salary or other benefits of equal value.

2) Encourage Health Savings Accounts - These accounts empower individuals to monitor their health care costs and create incentives for individuals to use only those services that are necessary.

3) Allow interstate purchasing of insurance. Some states have more affordable health insurance because they have fewer bells and whistles. Consumers should be able to decide which benefits they need and what prices they are willing to pay.

4) Reduce the number of mandated benefits that insurers are required to cover - Let consumers choose and price their own benefits. This also will increase individual responsibility and “connectedness” to their healthcare.

5) Reallocate the majority of Medicaid spending into simple vouchers for low-income individuals to purchase their own insurance - An income based voucher program would eliminate the massive bureaucracy needed to sustain the current, soon to be bankrupt (within 10 years) Medicaid system.

I believe these 5 policy recommendations would unleash the power of the free market on our healthcare system and dramatically drive down the costs of health insurance. Those reduced costs would then make it more attractive to younger people, many of whom currently find the cost of health insurance prohibitive, to buy insurance. Enlarging of the risk pool with younger (read: healthier) people would spread costs over a larger base, thereby further lowering healthcare costs. For once we could see a spiral downward in healthcare costs instead of upward, and it would be done through free market incentives, rather than the government trampling our rights by forcing us to buy health insurance- or else.

Whether through polls or recent elections, the American people have consistently and clearly shown they want Congress to re-think their approach on healthcare reform. Ignore them at your peril.

Washington needs accountability, transparency, and leadership to eliminate out-of-control spending and the staggering multi-trillion dollar national debt.

As a strong fiscal conservative, I believe America's families have reached the highest levels of prosperity in the world due to our ingenuity and innovation. However, Washington continues to operate under the faulty policy of throwing more taxpayer money at inefficient programs and pouring money into new, unproven programs. Washington needs accountability, transparency, and leadership to eliminate out-of-control spending and the staggering multi-trillion dollar national debt, which is an anchor on our economy and will be a burden for generations. Lately, it has become clear that our Government needs greater accountability and adult supervision. We must recognize reality and strive to expose wasteful government spending, like the massive numbers of earmarks in government funding bills, and to harness new technology to eliminate bureaucratic red tape so the government works for us.

Lowering taxes will produce a business-friendly environment that will create jobs and allow American businesses to compete in a global marketplace.

Washington needs fiscal accountability to rein in out-of-control spending, not bailout spending and other policies that will result in future tax increases for you and your family. The average American works hard each day to earn a living. Why do we let the government take our money and waste it on inefficient programs, expensive bailouts that prop up failing corporations or industries, or worse, government takeovers of entire industries that benefit only a favored few. Our government should find ways to be more efficient and allow the people to keep more of their own money through continued tax relief. If unchecked, Congress will have to increase taxes on American families and businesses, so that more money can be spent on their bailout and takeover programs. It is a simple fact: the current rate of spending is unsustainable.

Lowering taxes will produce a business-friendly environment that will create jobs and allow American businesses to compete in a global marketplace. We must implement policies that will allow our entrepreneurs to succeed, our prosperity to grow, and our economy to continue to lead the world.

The primary role of Government is to defend our citizens and our freedom from those that wish us harm.

The primary role of Government is to defend our citizens and our freedom from those that wish us harm. World events continue to demonstrate that we can no longer stand idle while a sophisticated group of terrorist enemies attempt to attack our friends and families. In this uncertain time where our nation continues to remain on a war footing and is threatened by new hostile enemies, we must be prepared to protect our freedom. First and foremost, we must provide our brave men and women in uniform with the resources they need, both at home and abroad.

We must continue to ensure that tomorrow's leaders will be able to compete globally and lead our country in the 21st Century.

Our Nation’s success has always been, and will continue to be, based upon each generation outperforming the last. We must give our children the opportunities to reach their dreams and compete with their counterparts in China, India, and the European Union. America has long held a strong commitment to protecting our future by investing in our children. Parents must have the right to make sure their children go to the best schools possible, and the federal government’s role is to provide more opportunities for high school, middle school, and elementary school children. Additionally, American children who work hard and get results should receive the help and assistance they need to reach their goal of going to college.

Investing in math and science education and new technology directly feeds into our nation’s ability to continue to lead the world in productivity and economic growth. America’s history is filled with stories of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that have improved the quality of life and economic prosperity of our nation, and the world. We must continue to ensure that tomorrow’s leaders will be able to compete with the best and brightest globally and lead our country in the 21st Century.

I advocate a balanced approach that expands energy exploration to help fuel our economic engine, while utilizing alternative and renewable energy.

America needs a national energy policy that focuses on more renewable resources, environmentally sound development of fossil fuels, and incentives for conservation. Becoming less reliant on foreign sources of energy will make America safer and stronger economically. Additionally, an America that is less reliant on foreign sources of energy will be a more prosperous America. Congress needs to implement common sense solutions to meet our future energy needs. I advocate a balanced approach that expands energy exploration to help fuel our economic engine, while utilizing alternative and renewable energy sources with advanced technology and environmental advances that reflects the reality that our future depends upon energy independence.

We are a society based on the rule of law. While we are a nation of immigrants, we cannot allow control of our borders to break down.

As a nation founded by immigrants, we should continue to embrace those who wait in line and come to the United States legally to work hard and contribute to our society. However, we should not provide any amnesty that would benefit those who defy our laws and enter the United States illegally. We are a society based on the rule of law. While we are a nation of immigrants, we cannot allow control of our borders to break down. Our security requires that we know who is in our country, and why they are here. We must secure our borders by strengthening border enforcement. We can utilize cutting-edge technology to more effectively patrol and secure our borders. We must also ensure that illegal immigrants are not receiving any of the benefits that are reserved for American Citizens.

We need to continue to make sure that our seniors have access to modern medical treatments and benefits.

We need to continue to make sure that our seniors have access to modern medical treatments and benefits, such as preventive care and prescription drug coverage. As the next generation of baby boomers begins to retire, we must work to ensure that Medicare's fiscal footing is sound, so current and future older Americans can continue to receive health care services from their doctors in the community.

Congress must make needed reforms to Social Security to give all of our citizens a brighter retirement future.

Congress must make needed reforms to Social Security to give all of our citizens a brighter retirement future. Under current law, our children will pay Social Security, but when they retire, the Social Security Trustees estimate that our children will not receive their fair share. Leadership is needed now to reform an unsustainable system in order to prevent dramatic tax increases or benefit cuts in the future. We can do better and should explore solutions that offer expanded opportunity, greater growth potential, and ownership.

Those who are currently senior citizens have worked to make America a great nation - from rebuilding the economy after the Great Depression and World War II to keeping America strong, safe and free during the Cold War.

President Clinton's 1993 tax increase on Social Security should be repealed. Seniors should also receive a fair Social Security cost of living adjustment, especially in years when there is no scheduled adjustment, and Medicare costs increase, as is happening right now.

We must provide the resources necessary to take care of our veterans.

Since the founding of our nation, we have relied on the strength of the men and women who have served as courageous Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. Yet too often, these heroes are neglected upon their return to home and family. These millions of volunteers have answered the call of duty so that we may live in freedom, so we must honor their courage, dedication, and sacrifice by providing the resources necessary to take care of our veterans. This commitment must include healthcare, which all to often is cut for veterans and their families with little or no regard for their circumstances.

I am a strong supporter of our right to keep and bear arms.

I am a strong supporter of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I believe that law-abiding citizens should not have this right infringed upon by numerous and burdensome regulations designed to deter law-abiding citizens from purchasing firearms.

In addition, because criminals operate outside of the law, banning certain types of weapons will not prevent criminals from acquiring illegal firearms. I believe that instead of significantly limiting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens through bans on certain types of firearms, the best way to help ensure the safety and security of our communities is to apprehend and convict violent offenders and make certain that they are punished to the full extent of the law.