Download this page as a PDF.

Health Care

America's health care system is broken and the impact on families in Wisconsin is very real. Wisconsinites are paying higher deductibles, paying a higher percentage of the cost from their paychecks, and have a limited choice of doctors. These are real problems that must be addressed.

As Governor, Mark Neumann will:

• Authorize the Attorney General to join the lawsuits of other States in challenging the constitutionality of federal healthcare mandates.
• Support an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution to explicitly reserve the right of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions.
• Reduce the cost of healthcare by supporting Tort Reform and market driven solutions like HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) and interstate Healthcare options.
• Expand healthcare insurance coverage by creating a job-friendly Wisconsin, offering tax breaks to businesses and individuals who purchase healthcare, and making Wisconsin employee's healthcare options available for anyone to purchase at cost.

I agree with Mark's position on Health Care and I publicly endorse him for Governor of Wisconsin.

Please send me campaign email updates.

Success!

Thanks for joining thousands of others who have publicly shown their support for Mark Neumann.

Did you know?

You can connect with Mark and other supporters by joining the team. Get custom candidate information, write blogs, create events, and much more!

Join the team

ObamaCare

Individual Control

Wisconsinites have the right to choose private healthcare insurance and should have the right to say 'no' to government-imposed coverage. Reserving the right of individuals to make their own decisions regarding healthcare is a serious concern. The federal government has not been given the authority to force individuals to make purchases of goods.

State Action

Many other states are considering constitutional amendments that aim to preserve private healthcare choice. In Wisconsin, a Senate Joint Resolution currently in draft form, (LRB-3861/1), and likely to be introduced by state Sen. Joe Leibham of Sheboygan would preserve choice and private healthcare options in Wisconsin. Mark Neumann fully supports this action. (A copy of the draft legislation can be found at this link: http://media.markforgov.com/09-38611.pdf)

Constitutional Concerns

More than a dozen state Attorneys General are considering a constitutional challenge to what has become known as the "Nebraska Exemption." The basis of the challenge relates to the provision made for Senator Ben Nelson that would exempt Nebraska from having to cover the additional Medicaid costs required by the federal healthcare bill. The critics believe the 'exemption' would violate commerce and tax uniformity guarantees by treating one state differently from others. As Governor, Mark Neumann will work with the Attorney General on this issue to preserve individual liberty in Wisconsin.

In addition, the Constitution does not give the federal government the power to mandate that private citizens buy a private sector product without any prerequisite conditions.

The bottom line is that Wisconsin must be protected from any unfair and potentially unconstitutional Congressional action. By forcing citizens to buy health insurance, the federal bill will be problematic no matter what form it takes. Even setting aside the huge cost to taxpayers, this is shaping up to be an excessive and troubling overreach by the federal government, and challenges are likely once the final legislation is unveiled.

The Wisconsin Prescription for Healthcare Reform

As Governor, Mark Neumann will advocate for the following actions to be taken and issues to be addressed at the state level:

1. Tort Reform: Cap the maximum settlement on non-economic damages in cases of unintentional medical malpractice.
2. 110% Wisconsin Tax Deduction: Allow individuals and businesses to deduct 110% of the cost of health insurance from their Wisconsin tax liabilities. This would specifically include payroll deductions for health insurance premiums.
3. Encourage HSA Participation: Make all payments to Health Savings Accounts fully tax deductible and work to eliminate new federal provisions which decrease current levels of participation in the plans, reduce what qualifies as 'expenses,' and increase penalties for non-qualified distributions.
4. Interstate Competition: Permit competition from insurance companies located across state lines.
   Mark talks about interstate competition in health insurance at Carroll University.

   ---

5. Less Government: Thoroughly review state and federal mandates on health care providers with an eye on enhancing competition, reducing costs and paperwork, and increasing quality.
6. Preventive Medicine: Encourage insurance plans to support preventive medicine, including annual 'wellness visits.' Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes could be screened in this coverage. However, this will not be a mandate.
7. Reducing Required Insurance Provisions: Federal and state mandates currently require a number of added components to health insurance plans. These requirements may be eliminated, allowing insurers and consumers to acquire specific plans of their choosing, potentially with a large deductable and coverage limited to only catastrophic health events.
8. HSA in Government Plans: State employees' healthcare plans shall implement an optional HSA program to encourage more patient participation in cost control and to reduce overall costs.
9. Elected Officials, State Employee Plans Made Accessible: Any Wisconsin resident or business shall be allowed to participate in the health insurance plans provided to state elected officials and/or state employees by paying market price for the insurance. This is specifically intended to provide access to Wisconsin residents and businesses that would otherwise have trouble acquiring coverage, those with pre-existing conditions and/or are between jobs. Also, having more people in the state insurance pool will help lower costs.
10. Jobs: The single most important step in providing increased healthcare coverage is to bring additional job opportunities to Wisconsin which pay a reasonable wage and provide health insurance to the employees.