Doctors For Hostettler [DFH] • doctorsforhostettler.com

Positions

It is important to break down the health care debate so that all can understand its implications.

Let us begin by saying that we all want to be healthy. We all want our families and loved ones to be healthy. In fact, we all want the best in health care for everybody. Who wants to see anyone sick or suffering!?

The notion that some in this society are in favor of health care, and that some are not, is NONSENSE. More importantly, when we look at the health care debate in this simple fashion, when we merely say, "I am in favor of health care," we gloss over the truly important health care issues we are facing as a nation.

While the specifics of the situation can be complex, the philosophy of the debate itself is as old as government itself. To see this most clearly, we only have to drop back a few years when health care was again the item of national debate.

In 1994, President Clinton submitted a massive 1,342 page proposal to overhaul America's health care system. We were told that this plan was the solution. We were told to dump the health care system which had brought us the care which was, and is, the ENVY of the world!

We were told "trust us" by our federal government. Fortunately, this attempt to Sovietize our health care system was denied by the American people. Even President Clinton realized that he could not easily achieve his goal of socialized medicine -- all at once, that is.

In a speech to the Service Employees International Union in 1997, President Clinton said the following regarding his plan for American health care: "Now what I tried before won't work. Maybe we can do it another way. That's what we've tried to do, a step at a time, until we finish this."

In light of this, we must understand that every proposal put forward by the Clinton Administration must be viewed in the light of President Clinton's proposed methodology for implementing Soviet-style health care - "...a step at a time...", and we are concerned that Dr. Perry would take this to the next 'step'. We are truly concerned that Dr. Perry would be used as a puppet to promote the interests of any administration pushing for a socialized health care system.

So you see that this current debate that we are having today is not new, just disguised differently. The question that gets to the root of this problem is:

Should America's health care system be governed by personal and family decisions within a free and open private market, or should the federal government in Washington, D.C. control America's health care decisions?

To the Doctors For Hostettler, the answer is very clear. The nation was founded on a premise that the individual citizen is the one best suited to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families. It is this sense of individualism which has resulted in America having the best technology, the best drugs, the best techniques in the world.

American superiority in these areas did not come about due to the actions of our government. It was the product of individual ingenuity and energy that allowed our inventors to be free to invent, researchers to be free to research, and doctors to be free to treat, which allowed the American health care system to exist today!

So when we begin to tinker with our system, when we decide to throw 200+ years of history out, we'd better have thought through what we are doing. It may sound good to propose a "Patient Bill of Rights" or these "Prescription Drug Benefits" but we should really know what that means to our current system and what detrimental effects those proposals may have.

The FACTS:

Medicare & Prescription Drugs
• 63% of Medicare enrollees currently have prescription drug coverage!
• 11% of Medicare enrollees, the poor, receive their prescription drugs through Medicaid!
• 29% of Medicare enrollees have out-of-pocket prescription drug costs greater than $500
• Only 4% of Medicare enrollees have out-of-pocket prescription drug costs greater than $2000

President Clinton's Prescription Drug Benefit Plan
• The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 75% of seniors with employment-based prescription drug coverage would LOSE this retirement benefit under the President's proposal!
• Would cost the taxpayers $160 Billion over 10 years!

US Drug System is the Envy of the World
• The United States developed 45% of all new drugs marketed worldwide in the 1990's!
• The United Kingdom developed 14% of all new drugs marketed globally!

In 1974 the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was passed, allowing employers to be free from malpractice claims and keeping employees' retirement incomes safe. If the "Patients' Bill of Rights" legislation were to pass, employers would be faced with higer premium cost and greater liability resulting in 1.6 million to LOSE their coverage, including 3,600 in the 8th District of Indiana. This would become a bonanza for trial lawyers.

These are just samples of the reasons why Dr. Paul Perry's proposals are unacceptable. From supporting a drug plan that would force millions of retirees onto an enormously expensive federal government plan (meaning higher taxes), to a Patients' Bill of Rights (stripping thousands of Hoosiers of their medical coverage). What would be the result of these disasterous changes to our health care system taken a "step at a time?" Health Care costs would skyrocket while coverage would plummet. The Result would be millions of Americans forced out of the best healthcare system in the world clammoring for socialized medicine or "Hillary Care."

We want America to remain free; and if you do, too, vote for Congressman John Hostettler! His views and voting record most accurately reflect the opinions and feelings of doctors and patients of the 8th District of Indiana.