Steve Beshear on Health Care Democrat

Support managed competition & healthcare tax incentives

Beshear supports the following principles concerning health care:
• Support a “managed competition” health care plan to contain costs and improve access that does not include mandated health alliances, government cost control powers, or employer/employee mandates.
• Provide tax incentives for small businesses to help provide health care to their employees.
• Allow middle and low income families to deduct yearly health care costs from their taxable income.

Adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year.

In a letter to congressional leadership, 22 governors are urging federal lawmakers to adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year to provide families and businesses with much-needed security and stability.

"We commend you and your colleagues for provisions included in your bills that will help states," the governors wrote. "Many of the provisions will allow states to achieve long term savings and help cover those who currently go without health coverage. We recognize that health reform is a shared responsibility and everyone, including state governments, needs to partner to reform our broken health care system."

"Efforts at the federal level, like the recent and critical investments that support states' HIV and prevention initiatives, are beginning the work to lower health care costs. Our citizens and our states, however, will only achieve the health care security and stability they need if we succeed in working together to achieve health care reform."