Capitol Report: The fate of freedom

The goal of bettering healthcare for all Americans has led to an extensive debate in our country. In the next few weeks this debate will come to a head when the United States Supreme Court will issue one of the most important rulings of our lifetime. When the court rules on the fate of the federal healthcare bill it will either be affirming the freedoms provided by our founding fathers or weakening the foundation of our democracy. While we do not yet know the fate of this poor public policy, we do know that the overwhelming majority of Missourians do not agree with the government taking over our healthcare decisions.

In August of 2010, Missouri voters became the first in the nation to cast their ballots in opposition to the federal government’s attempt to take over our healthcare decisions when more than 71% of Missouri’s voters supported the Healthcare Freedom Act. At the core of this vote was individual freedom vs. big government exerting more control over our lives. This vote sent a loud message that in the Show-Me-State voters do not believe that government bureaucrats or out of touch politicians have real solutions to improving healthcare in America.

I believe we must empower consumers and then trust the innovation and creativity of the private sector to find ways to cut costs and become more efficient within the current system. We must do a better job of utilizing the delivery systems by increasing competition and reducing government mandates and bureaucracy. We must empower patients with more information so that they can have a greater level of control and input into their healthcare decisions.

Although our healthcare system is by no means perfect, the United States still has the greatest doctors and the most innovative healthcare system in the world. Greater transparency in pricing, quality ratings and increased competition nationally will do more to change healthcare in this country than any government mandate. By engaging consumers directly in the purchase and payment for healthcare services, we will begin to see more informed decisions which will lead to a more efficient healthcare system. With more information and a personal stake in their healthcare decisions, Americans will be able to make the decisions that are in their best interests which I believe will always be better decisions than those coming from some big government program.

As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is [email protected] and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.