House Republicans offer health care deduction plan

House Republicans offer health care deduction plan
By Oregon House Republican Office,

SALEM””Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) and Rep. Scott Bruun (R-West Linn) today urged the House Health Care Committee to make health care more affordable by allowing individuals and families to deduct insurance premium payments from their federal taxable income. “We are offering a solution to make health insurance more available to thousands of Oregonians and their families,” said Rep. Maurer, the measure’s chief co-sponsor. “HB 3611 will expand access to care and empower more Oregonians to make their own health care decisions. Further, the bill offers relief to Oregonians who must pay the new tax on their health insurance premiums.”

HB 3611 will provide relief to the 200,000 Oregonians who purchase individual coverage plans but have seen their rates increase by 17 percent over the past year. House Republicans also say the bill will make individual coverage more affordable to uninsured Oregonians.

“This bill would go further than anything we’ve yet done in Oregon to increase coverage for health care,” said Rep. Bruun, the measure’s chief co-sponsor. “This bill would also solve the issue of portability and reduce costs by empowering Oregonians to be health care customers, not just patients.”

HB 3611 is pending further action in the House Health Care Committee. The bill is part of the House Republicans’ 2010 agenda.

###