GOP response: Public health option won’t work

Republicans agree with several of President Obama’s principles for healthcare reform and hope to work with him on the issue, Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) said Saturday.

Americans should not be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions and should be able to keep their current plans if they like them, Boustany argued in the weekly Republican radio address.

Obama has publicly supported these ideas as key aspects of any reform package.

But Boustany, a physician, noted that Republicans differ with Democrats on whether the federal government should develop a public healthcare option to compete with private insurers.

“From my former practice, I know allowing the government to replace the health coverage that more than 100 million Americans currently have through their jobs could have devastating consequences,” Boustany said. “A government takeover of healthcare will put bureaucrats in charge of healthcare decisions that should be made by families and doctors.”

Many Democrats believe that a public insurance plan could help cover Americans who cannot afford a plan and would help keep costs down.

But key Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, oppose a public option.

“Slowly but surely the government plan would take over the market,” Grassley said on Thursday. “Eventually, all the promises about creating a level playing field have been broken, and we would be left with a single-payer, government-run health insurance program.”

For the most part, however, Boustany emphasized common ground Republicans share with Obama.

“The president has said health care reform must address ‘cost drivers’ in our system such as obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and smoking,” Boustany said. “Republicans agree.”

Obama has made healthcare reform a key priority of his presidency. On Monday, six healthcare industry groups met with Obama and pledged to reduce healthcare costs by $2 trillion in an effort to expand coverage.