A Republican Health Care Contract With America

Make all reasonable medical expenses completely tax deductible again. Now medical expenses above a certain threshold are tax deductible, but for tens of millions of middle class Americans, medical expenses never rise to that level. This would keep choice in the hands of patients and doctors and provide immediate health to huge numbers of American households. Require that the FDA drugs certify as safe any drug which has been used safely in other countries for four years. This would immediately provide doctors and patients in America with more safe and inexpensive drugs that have been used for years in Britain or Denmark. Put Physical Education back in all public schools. Our kids are too chubby and too lethargic. Having students exercise an hour or so each day will improve their health. Perhaps, also, “grade” schools based upon general indicators on the physical health of the school’s students. Allow private insurance companies to compete across state lines (as Ann Coulter has suggested) so that we vendors have a vast number of different plans we can choose, rather than a few limited to each state. Provide low cost, high deductible catastrophic health care insurance, as Republicans have supported in the past. Hammer home with the elderly that this would end any worry about bureaucrats measuring the value of an old person’s life against health care costs. Stimulus funds specifically cannot be used for communities to build golf courses or swimming pools. End this silly restriction. Public golf courses are great for senior citizens’ health. Swimming pools are wonderful ways for children to exercise. Why – on earth – spend stimulus funds on community organizers, but not on swimming pools, golf courses, walking paths, etc.? Require that in medical malpractice cases no more than ten percent of the award can go to the lawyers. This would not limit awards but it would limit the incentive of greedy and dishonest trial lawyers like John Edwards from getting rich from the misery of others or the alleged harm caused by drugs or treatments. Increase the income tax deduction for people who contribute to private, non-profit medical research and health care. Obama wants to “soak the rich” to pay for public health care. Republicans should entice the rich to be even more generous in helping private health care. Provide that food stamp recipients who are seriously overweight must participate in certified weight reduction programs. It is one thing to make sure no American is hungry in the land of plenty. It is quite another to give free food, without conditions, to people who are killing themselves with that food. Provide an annual medical checkup, with medically indicated tests, for every American who cannot afford it.

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