TPPF: Senate Finance Committee health care proposal would harm Texas

AUSTIN – The health care reform proposal approved this afternoon by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee would harm Texas’ economy and state budget, increase taxes and health care costs of Texas families, and make health care less accessible and lower quality, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“Our research has shown that additional government health care subsidies such as those in the Baucus bill will slow the Texas economy and blow a huge hole in our state’s budget,” said The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth, Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “Texas families would pay more for less access and lower quality of health care.”

Wohlgemuth said that the proposal passed today travels down the same well-traveled road of failed government interventions in health care.

“There is nothing in Sen. Baucus’ yet-to-be-written bill that addresses the cost of health care creatively,” Wohlgemuth said. “His proposal will expand government, drive up the cost of health care, increase government control to the detriment of patients, and impose additional burdens on already strapped state governments.”

Earlier today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation was among 33 state-level think tanks in 31 states that issued a joint statement of principles on health care reform. The statement is available online at www.patientcenteredreform.org. Wohlgemuth was a featured participant in a national media conference call on the health care statement of principles.

“All of the items in the big-government agenda have been tried before and produced disastrous results,” Wohlgemuth said. “Congress should focus on patient-centered health care reforms that have been proven to reduce cost and increase access and quality of care.”

The Honorable Arlene Wohlgemuth is a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin. She served 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives, specializing in health care issues.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Health care Facebook page: http://www.Facebook.com/PrescriptionForACure Laffer health care report: http://www.lafferhealthcarereport.org/

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