Posted by Matt Hawes on 06/02/09 1:26 PM   [Newer: Freedom Watch, 6/3/09] [Older: Audit the Fed!]

As referenced in his latest article, Dr. Paul has introduced two new pieces of legislation that bring a freedom approach to healthcare.

HR 2629, the Coercion is Not Health Care Act, prevents the federal government from forcing any American to purchase health insurance or conditioning participation in any federal program on the purchase of health insurance.

Here's a few lines from Dr. Paul's speech introducing HR 2629:

While often marketed as a "moderate" compromise between nationalized health care and a free market solution, forcing every American to purchase a government-approved health insurance plan is a back door approach to creating a government-controlled health care system.

If Congress requires individuals to purchase insurance, Congress must define what insurance policies satisfy the government mandate. Thus, Congress will decide what is and is not covered in the mandatory insurance policy. Does anyone seriously doubt that what conditions and treatments are covered will be determined by who has the most effective lobby. Or that Congress will be incapable of writing a mandatory insurance policy that will fit the unique needs of every individual in the United States?

The experience of States that allow their legislatures to mandate what benefits health insurance plans must cover has shown that politicizing health insurance inevitably makes health insurance more expensive. As the cost of government-mandated health insurance rises, Congress will likely create yet another fiscally unsustainable entitlement program to help cover the cost of insurance.

Read the rest.

HR 2630, the Protect Patients' and Physicians' Privacy Act, allows patients and physicians to opt out of any federally mandated, created, or funded electronic medical records system, repeals sections of federal law establishing a "unique health identifier," and requires patient consent before any electronic medical records can be released to a 3rd party.

As Dr. Paul said while introducing this bill,

One of the major flaws with the federally mandated electronic record system is that it does not provide adequate privacy protection. Electronic medical records that are part of the federal system will only receive the protection granted by the Federal "medical privacy rule." This misnamed rule actually protects the ability of government officials and state-favored special interests to view private medical records without patient consent.

Even if the law did not authorize violations of medical privacy, patients would still have good reason to be concerned about the government's ability to protect their medical records. After all, we are all familiar with cases where third parties obtained access to electronic veteran, tax, and other records because of errors made by federal bureaucrats. My colleagues should also consider the abuse of IRS records by administrations of both parties and ask themselves what would happen if unscrupulous politicians gain the power to access their political enemies' electronic medical records.

Read the rest.

Posted 06/02/09 3:43 PM DA521 Fair Lawn, NJ

99% of Americans will never even hear about any of these bills. The press won't cover them. Great bills, but I would hope that the bill also included the sellers, providers, and producers of healthcare, and not just consumers. They shouldn't be subject to coercion either. Of course, for such a bill to pass would be for hell to freeze over.

Posted 06/02/09 4:28 PM BruceKoerber Cedar Rapids, IA

Undoing Socialism Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Physicians And Patients Can Stop Socialized Medicine! These (HR 2629 and HR 2630) can pass! Who do you think is the most irritated by the socialization of medicine? The physicians. Physicians and their patients (all of the sudden we are talking about a majority) can contact their elected representatives and then what we will see is the battleground form and become defined! On one side will be the socialists and the medical pharmaceutical industrial complex and the bribed, corrupt politicians. On the other side will be the physicians, and patients who have private health insurance and health savings accounts, and also all advocates of private property and liberty. The corrupt ones are too cowardly to come out into the open and so they will try to fight the battle with lies and deviousness. Their oppostion (us) will do well by continually exposing these cowardly acts by the corrupt and socialistic enemy. Eventually the representatives who are hearing from their constituents will have to decide whether they want to lose the next election or stop the thievery and impoverishment associated with socialism.

Posted 06/02/09 11:50 PM AuthenticAuthor Canutillo, TX

BruceKoerber makes a very good point. Right now there's a huge demand for physicians, but anyone who wants to become a physician has to go through the gauntlet of insane expenses, red tape and threat of malpractice suits. No wonder we have a shortage! Meanwhile, those already practicing medicine are feeling the pinch. Of course, we must all recognize the fact that there are special interests representing entrenched doctors who would prefer competition to be non-existent, but opening a back door a politicized medical environment is a world that not even they, I imagine, would want either.

Posted 06/02/09 11:54 PM AuthenticAuthor Canutillo, TX

About the privacy issue with electronic records; anyone remember the break-in at usajobs.gov not too long ago? If the federal government can't even secure the sensitive info of its job applicants, what hope is there that your medical records won't be copied either? I have nothing against private contractors by the way, but that incident at usajobs.gov has happened before. You would think that by now the government would had dropped their service like a bad habit. Think again.

Posted 06/03/09 12:56 AM Salvial River Drive Park, Canada

DA521, don't be so pessimistic, we can win this!

Posted 06/03/09 01:05 AM marketingdude university place, WA

I think physicians have tremendous amount of power in Washington through AMA. As long they can "stick it" to the taxpayers (doesn't matter employers or what, ultimately it's paid by taxpayers), they won't care. AMA was against Medicare. Last year though, it lobbied hard against the reduction of Medicare payment to physicians. AMA looks after the interest of its member, not taxpayers. If the government can guarantee that payment to physicians will not be cut, then any opposition against universal health care probably will be dropped.

Posted 06/03/09 09:21 AM rightsman Las Vegas,, NV

Yes, we CAN win this battle. Look at what's happened with HR1207. We are winning a battle against one of the most powerful organizations on earth! Who has spoken out against HR1207? The transparency bill is being talked about among the voters. It has garnered some attention even in the main stream media. The general population is being educated regarding the fiat money. If we give these two bills the attention that we gave HR1207, we will get them passed. Send some emails and faxes. Call your representative. Write letters to the editor bringing attention to these two important pieces of legislation. Go ahead. START! Thank you, Robert Walker

Posted 06/03/09 11:26 AM IPSecure Anna, TX

Can we get a link, similar to the one for HR 1207 on the main page, to contact our representatives to support these and all of the bills that Dr. Paul introduces?

Posted 06/03/09 3:10 PM SCButterfly Pacolet Mills, SC

I agree with IPSecure, we should push these bills hard...this is as important as HR1207.

Posted 06/07/09 04:51 AM johnaustin123 Willoughby, OH

Health Care…We should consider this Plan? In Switzerland, A Health Care Model For America? : NPR www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92106731 http://www.npr.org/ templates/story/story.php?storyId=92106731 At first glance, Switzerland's health care system looks like it could be the perfect political compromise for the United States. As Republicans would prefer, individuals — not employers or the government — choose from a broad array of health plans, sold by private insurance companies. And as Democrats urge, everyone in Switzerland has health coverage (it's required by law), with the government providing generous subsidies for those who couldn't otherwise afford it. So does it all run, to use a Swiss cliché, like clockwork? Yes and no. Switzerland's 7.5 million citizens are, by and large, quite happy with the system. "I wouldn't trade it for the world," says Nicole Bieri, an adult vocational education instructor from Lucerne. "I think it's a very good system." Look at the potentials of this Heath Care System. Read between the lines. Switzerland does not allow Citizenship without a Health Care Plan. It is the best of all Worlds. I personally think that a modification of this plan, along with a sliding scale, will help our Immigration Problems at the Mexican border. It would take time, but an Illegal Alien could not then be legally in the United States of America. However, we truly do need to help USA Citizens who, through no fault of their own, to be provided with Health Insurances.