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First reply from senate and house representatives on my concerns about healthcare reform.  The reply is from Republican Jim Gerlach. Hopefully his views will influence other members of Congress.

I encourage you ALL to write to your representatives about your take on the various proposals.  It is unfortunate that the general public does not hound their representatives.
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Dear Mr. **********

Thank you for contacting me with your views on health care reform.  I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to your comments on this very important issue.

I believe that the time has come for us to take on the challenge of reforming the health care system in this country.  There is no doubt that health care costs are rising and many Americans of all ages are struggling with these increased costs.  During these tough economic times, the need to address health care reform is vital.

As you may know, there are numerous Members of Congress, as well as President Obama and his Administration, that have been working on various proposals.  I have been very involved in drafting one of these proposals with fellow moderate Republicans and we believe it will lower costs and expand access without compromising the doctor-patient relationship, jeopardizing the quality of American medicine or raising taxes on the American people. The proposed Medical Rights and Reform Act will make health insurance more affordable and give all Americans more options and control over their health care decisions.  Additionally, our proposal will improve the quality of care by focusing on prevention and wellness, employing technologies that reduce medical errors, and promoting medical breakthroughs.  I have attached a summary of this proposal for your information.

I am very happy that this proposal incorporates bipartisan legislation that I have introduced with my colleague, Democrat Representative Ron Kind from Wisconsin, H.R. 2350, the proposed Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Act.  This legislation would make health insurance more affordable, predictable, and accessible for our small businesses and the self-employed.  The SHOP Act would offer tax incentives to encourage states to reform poorly functioning small group insurance markets and would encourage the development of state purchasing pools backstopped by a voluntary, nationwide pool.  We need to focus on ways to make health care more affordable and accessible for our small business owners and entrepreneurs and I believe that the SHOP Act will accomplish this.

There have been some in Washington who have called for a "public option plan," in other words, a health care plan that is controlled and run by the government.  I do not believe that bureaucrats should be making health care decisions for our citizens, or controlling the medical decision-making process in a way that will delay or deny services for you or your family.  It is not the proper role for the government to be telling Americans what doctors they can see, how many x-rays they can get in a year, or what prescriptions they can take.  I believe it's imperative to preserve the sacred doctor-patient relationship and prevent the government from interfering in those decisions.  I am hopeful that, as Congress pursues changes to our health care system, we can work together in a bipartisan way to produce health care legislation that will provide high quality, affordable and accessible care for all Americans.

Again, thank you for contacting me about health care reform.  If I can be of any assistance to you or your family in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.


With kind regards, I am

Sincerely,

Jim Gerlach

Member of Congress