Sam Brownback on Health Care

Brownback's plan focuses on creating what he calls a consumer-centered, not government-centered, health care model. He puts an emphasis on affordable coverage choices and putting the "consumer in the driver's seat."

Health Insurance: Private/Government

• Allow health care policies to be made available across state lines.
• Encourage the establishment of association health plans, which would allow small businesses to band together to buy health insurance at better prices.

Medical Costs

• Ensure transparency in the health care system with comparative data on price, quality, and total costs to patients, providers, and insurers, to more easily allow consumers to find the lowest prices.
• Opposes current health policies that force consumers to pay increased premiums for some benefits they may not want or need such as aromatherapy and acupuncture.

Health Savings Accounts

• Encourage health savings accounts, on a tax-free basis, to help individuals save for current and future medical health expenses.

Drugs: Costs/Importation

• Seeks the negotiation of bulk purchases of drugs by Medicare to reduce costs. Current Medicare law prohibits government negotiation with pharmaceutical companies.

Drug Safety

• No current information in his platform, but Brownback did vote in the Senate for a drug safety bill that would give the FDA more authority to monitor and regulate drugs after they've been approved.