A Better Way to Empower Americans

Over the past few weeks, House Republicans have focused on laying out a roadmap called A Better Way. This agenda outlines our policy proposals for creating greater opportunity for all Americans, reducing the size of government, and strengthening our country.

One of these proposals is an official alternative to Obamacare which provides more choices and more control for patients over their own care.  

Despite President Obama’s repeated promises of lower premiums for families across America, the average premium for employer-sponsored insurance rose by $3,775 under Obamacare. In Nebraska, premiums increased by 26.2 percent between the 2015 and 2016 enrollment periods.  

There is no question the President’s health care law is unsustainable, reinforced by the collapse of 13 of 23 Obamacare-created Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, or co-ops, including CoOportunity Health in Nebraska and Iowa. These failures have left more than half a million Americans without coverage while losing more than $1 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Our Better Way health care plan gives Americans more coverage options in both the individual and employer-sponsored markets to fit their needs while eliminating more than $1 trillion in health care taxes and mandates. It also protects patients by strengthening Medicare and prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.

Health care is personal, and our plan restores Americans’ ability to make their own choices with their doctors rather than having their care dictated by bureaucrats. It also allows them to take their coverage wherever they go instead of being tied to a certain job or state to keep their insurance.

It is not just health care where Americans need relief from the burdens of an overgrown bureaucracy. People across the country are fed up with our broken tax system and its endless complexities which make it easier for people to cheat than to comply.  

Simplifying the tax code is one of the most effective ways to get our economy moving again. House Republicans have introduced a blueprint for comprehensive tax reform to help people keep more of their hard-earned money and encourage economic growth and investment in America.

In addition to making the tax code simpler, flatter, and fairer for all, the blueprint calls for crucial reforms such as repealing the death tax, which threatens many family farms and ranches in Nebraska. It also seeks to dramatically reduce the paperwork and costly services required for individuals and families to file their taxes while restructuring the IRS to make service its first priority.  

Tax reform falls within the constitutional jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee, on which I serve, and we want to hear your thoughts. Please visit WaysandMeans.house.gov/TaxReform to share your comments and ideas. I encourage you to also reach out to me with your opinions of the proposed health care plan.  

To learn more about each plank of House Republicans’ Better Way agenda, please visit better.gop. I look forward to your feedback on these efforts to empower Americans and get our country back on track.