Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson voted no tonight on HR 3590, legislation that represents the first step to a government takeover of the healthcare system.  Despite Simpson’s strong opposition and repeated efforts to defeat the bill, this bill passed the House by a final vote of 219-212. 

“There is no doubt that this legislation will be challenged in court,” said Simpson.  “Beyond the question of its legality, this bill will ultimately damage the health care system in the United States while adding another $2 to 3 trillion to our national debt. At this time, I encourage all Idahoans to support Governor Otter in his effort to challenge its constitutionality in court.”

Congressman Simpson has supported a number of commonsense health reform bills that have been introduced in Congress, such as H.R. 1086, the HEALTH Act, and H.R. 2607, the Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act, to name just a few.

“Many have said we are the party of 'NO,' but that is simply not the case,” said Simpson. “We have offered several commonsense alternatives that will actually bring down the cost of health care. I am extremely disappointed to see that once again, the Democrats have failed to listen to the American people and chosen to push a partisan takeover of health care instead of passing effective health reform that everyone could support.”

Simpson and 70 of his colleagues have cosponsored H.R. 1086, the HEALTH Act. This bill would implement effective medical malpractice reform and put an end to junk lawsuits by placing caps on non-economic damages and limiting attorney fees. This bill would save as much as $120 billion in wasteful spending by stemming the practice of defensive medicine.

Simpson is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2607, the Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act, which would allow small businesses to band together through associations to buy health care coverage. Large corporations and labor unions already leverage their size and buying power to secure lower premiums and rates when buying health insurance for their employees and members. This bill would give America's small businesses the same advantages to make health care coverage for their employees more affordable.
 
In addition, Simpson supports reforms to prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people because of pre-existing condition as well as reforms to make the purchase of health insurance for individuals tax-exempt like it is for employer-sponsored insurance.  He also supports prescription drug re-importation, which would control prescription drug costs by allowing Americans to buy FDA-approved prescription drugs from places such as Canada and Europe where drugs are sold for much less money.

“I also believe that we need to do more as a country to focus on prevention and early intervention,” said Simpson. “If we truly want to control the cost of healthcare, individuals must be part of the solution by taking an active role in our overall health.”