Fair Health Care for Every American

Oftentimes, Washington overcomplicates simple issues that can be met with fiscally responsible, long-term solutions that lower costs and provide real results for real Americans. When it comes to health care policy, partisan talking points end up creating an impasse that sacrifices solutions for soundbites that can be used on social media.

The work we do as Members of Congress shouldn’t be about how many views we can get online; it should be about how we can work together to deliver real, tangible wins for the American people by restoring broken systems that no longer function the way they were intended.

Since being elected to Congress, I came to Washington ready to craft commonsense, conservative legislation. That’s why I’m proud to reintroduce the Fair Care Act, legislation that combines over 75 bipartisan proposals that expand insurance and health care options, protect those with preexisting conditions, lower costs, and increase the number of insured Americans.

It is time to create an accessible, functioning health care system. Americans are paying $5 trillion annually for health care plans that barely even work. And with an industry that consumes 18% (and rising) of our GDP, we cannot afford to let partisan politics stand in the way of common sense and quality care.

Here’s how the Fair Care Act works:

It modernizes Health Savings Accounts.

Most Americans end up losing hundreds of dollars annually in unused FSA funds due to use-it-or-lose-it rules. The Fair Care Act merges these health care accounts into one simple Health Savings Account (HSA) to eliminate waste. That means that anyone with Medicare, Medicaid, employer plans, or individual plans would qualify.

With this modernization, your pre-tax money could be used for prescription costs, doctor visits, premiums, and more. And with more flexibility, employees would have the freedom to use their HSA funds to buy their own insurance, detaching health insurance from employment.

Preexisting conditions are known to send rates into the stratosphere. But the Fair Care Act fixes that and even provides greater options for short-term coverage if you can’t commit to something more long-term. And with the ability for small businesses or individuals to join together for group discounts and rates, Americans have more say in the plans they pay into.

It promotes price transparency and competition.

Rising health care costs are ultimately the result of the consolidation and vertical integration – or monopolies – within the hospital, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries. The Fair Care Act tackles these monopolies to create a more competitive market that ultimately drives down the cost of drugs and health care services.

It creates reforms to Medicare and Medicaid.

Medicare and Medicaid must function in the way they were intended to prevent waste and abuse of a system that is no longer functioning in the way it was intended. The Fair Care Act reforms Medicaid by offering greater help for those who may not qualify for the program but still struggle to afford insurance and allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices and compare insurance plans so senior citizens can get tailored care instead of getting stuck in a one-size-fits-all system.

For rural areas across the Fourth District, we rely heavily on telehealth to act as a lifeline when emergency care is too far away. The Fair Care Act makes COVID-era telehealth expansions permanent so rural residents can have more reliable access to primary care and emergency services.

I truly believe it is possible to come to a bipartisan agreement on a long-lasting health care bill that lowers costs and provides all Americans with the opportunity to have access to quality health care.  By taking politics out of the equation, the Fair Care Act is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come to a solution that focuses on the patients’ needs over Washington’s political agenda.