Ron Paul on Health Care

Paul, a strict believer in limited federal government and constitutional law, proposes that Americans individually should control their own health care insurance coverage. He believes that would cut costs, offering providers and patients incentives to keep prices down. To help Americans buy health care, he would provide them with tax credits equaling 100% of expenses for health insurance. A doctor — he has delivered more than 4,000 babies — Paul is personally pro-life. However, as a strict believer in constitutional law, he believes that abortion should be a matter for states to decide.

Health Insurance: Private/Government

• Return health care control to the individual, and provide them with tax credits equaling 100% of their health insurance expenses.
• Remove the pairing of employment and health insurance, which often leaves the unemployed without needed insurance.
• Make fundamental reform of health care a priority for Congress.
• Reduce reliance on third-party payers (insurance companies and health maintenance organizations, or HMOs).
• Make the market for individual health insurance policies more robust.
• Create a $500 per child tax credit for prescription drugs and medical expenses not covered by insurance. Provide a $3,000 tax credit for dependent children with cancer, disabilities, or terminal illnesses.

Medical Costs

• Give Americans and health care providers an incentive to keep costs down by making the patient directly responsible for payment.
• To reduce costly malpractice litigation, allow the purchase of "negative outcomes" insurance prior to surgery or other serious medical treatments. That guarantees those harmed receive fair compensation.
• Provide Americans with a tax credit equal to 100% of health care insurance expenses.

Health Savings Accounts

• Make Americans eligible for a health savings account (HSA) by removing the requirement that they must obtain a high deductible insurance policy to open an account.

Drugs: Costs/Importation

• Allow prescription drugs to be imported from foreign countries where they sell for less than in the U.S.
• To help cut costs, end subsidies to insurance and pharmaceutical companies and cut unnecessary FDA regulations.