John R. Graham Invited to Testify on Health Reform at the California State Senate Standing Health Committee

Sacramento — John R. Graham, the Director of Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank, was invited to testify before the California State Senate Standing Health Committee in Sacramento on the “Outlook for Health Reform.”

Mr. Graham focused on three ways states can enable free choice in health care:

1. Repeal the “California Sick Tax” by making Health Savings Account contributions and earnings tax deductible. A Health Savings Account and its accompanying High-Deductible Health Plan are means of transferring more health-care dollars from American businesses to American families. The rate of growth in these accounts is slightly higher than that of IRAs at a similar stage of development, and that premiums for HSA-qualified policies are between 10 percent and 40 percent lower than those of other policies.
   
   
2. Give public-sector employees the opportunity of HSAs. State politicians need to protect taxpayers by giving public-sector employees HSA-qualifying, consumer-driven health plans, and educating them about their advantages.
   
   
3. Free health insurers to compete. In a misguided attempt to make health insurance “fair”, California has artificially segmented group-purchased health insurance from individually purchased health insurance. This excessive government interference in private health choices is a major reason why California ranks a lowly 44th out of 50 states in the PRI U.S. Index of Health Ownership.
   
   

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About PRI
For 30 years, the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) has championed freedom, opportunity, and individual responsibility through free-market policy solutions. PRI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. For more information please visit our web site at http://www.pacificreseach.org