THAT’S DEBATABLE:Reforming healthcare

EDITORS NOTE: This is the first in a weekly series. Each week we will ask area lawmakers and policymakers their opinions on current affairs.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has said he plans to make healthcare one of his major initiatives in 2007, but there’s no money in the general fund to pay for a new program. What kind of a healthcare plan could you support, and how should it be paid for?

We cannot afford to create a new healthcare entitlement; it will bankrupt the state. The good news is that we can expand coverage without expanding government.

First, we should conform state tax law with federal tax law to allow for pre-tax treatment of payroll deductions to health savings accounts. Unlike flex accounts that have to be used by the end of the year and cannot be carried over, health savings accounts stay with the individual and can accumulate year to year, tax free. When coupled with a high deductible health plan, these savings accounts help keep healthcare costs under control while protecting people from the threat of financial ruin in the event of a costly illness.

Secondly, we could consider mandating payroll withholding for people who choose not to have insurance. Funds withheld would establish a health savings account with a high-deductible health plan. With more people in the system, health insurance costs would drop for everyone.

CHUCK DEVORE

Assemblyman (R-Newport Beach)

Healthcare is an important issue for our state to deal with, but I don’t believe the quality of healthcare will improve by just spending more money and expanding government. I am most concerned by proposals that will result in government becoming the sole provider of healthcare. In that Soviet-style system, patients will suffer through long waiting periods, deficient care and a lack of resources. Efficiency and innovation are lost.

What California needs is more flexibility from burdensome control by the federal government so we can adequately deal with the unique needs of our residents. The focus must be on curtailing healthcare sectors where costs have been increasing at alarming rates.

VAN TRAN

Assemblyman (R-Costa Mesa)

I am open to seeing all of the healthcare proposals on the table this coming year. That being said, most of the proposals will cost the state billions of dollars and lead to new taxes on individuals and businesses, which I am against.

So what is the key to the healthcare crisis? First, in finding solutions to California’s healthcare crisis, changes must be made to our legal system to reduce medical-malpractice costs. Patients should be allowed to recover just compensation from a negligent doctor or hospital, but we must eliminate runaway jury verdicts, which are driving up healthcare costs. Additionally, we must increase competition in the healthcare industry, reduce licensing restrictions and allow doctors and hospitals to expand the type of services they provide.

California needs a plan that provides affordable healthcare insurance for those who want it, requires individuals to pay their fair share for their healthcare needs, and promotes responsible lifestyle changes.

TOM HARMAN

State Senator (R-Huntington Beach)