TOPEKA – Jim Barnett, a practicing physician for 35 years who recently announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor, today called the health bill being considered by United States Senate “wrong for Kansas” and urged them to develop a better alternative.
“Congress’ priority should be improving our nation’s private health insurance system,“ Barnett said, “so that quality health insurance is available and affordable for every American. Unfortunately, this bill doesn’t achieve that.
“My criteria for productive changes to the health care system are simple,” Barnett stated. “We need to control costs, both for individuals and the overall system; we need to stabilize and bring more competition to the health care marketplace; we need more choice for consumers and greater flexibility for individual states to experiment with new ways of providing care; and we need to protect the less fortunate, especially those who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems, and drug addiction.”
“One of the first oaths I took as a medical doctor was ”first do no harm,” Barnett stated. “The Senate bill has some positive features, but overall it has the potential of posing too much harm to too many segments of Kansas’ population for me to support it.
“In Kansas, many rural communities have hospitals that are struggling to stay open. This bill doesn’t help that.
“Kansans across the state have been saddled with higher premiums and higher co-pays. This bill doesn’t help with that.
“Many low income Kansans need the security that comes with health insurance. This bill doesn’t help make that happen.
“Communities across the state are facing an opiod crisis. This bill doesn’t help in that effort.
“Kansans need protection that they will not lose prescription drug coverage, maternity care coverage and mental health coverage. This bill doesn’t offer that protection.
“As a nation, we need to address the root causes of our ever-increasing healthcare costs. This bill doesn’t help that.
“When Washington expanded coverage of Medicaid, they made a commitment to fund 90 percent of the cost of that expansion,” Barnett said. “Now they want to renege on that. I think they should keep that promise.”
“I urge the United States Senate to not pass this bill. Instead, they should continue deliberations and come up with a better product, one that meets the needs of Kansas and America.”