John Ensign: “we are debating about whether to raise the Federal minimum wage in our country. I think that people on both sides of the…”

“we are debating about whether to raise the Federal minimum wage in our country. I think that people on both sides of the aisle have agreed that it is time to raise the minimum wage in this country. But health care is an important issue, and ensuring that health care is more affordable, available, and accessible affects a lot more people in the United States than does the minimum wage. So at the same time we are helping some in our society, shouldn't we be looking at ways to help many more Americans obtain health care that is accessible, affordable, and available? Our health care system does not work to keep costs down and quality up because the people who actually receive health care services are not responsible for paying for the services. The vast majority of people receive health care through their employer and have low-deductible policies. This provides no incentive to shop for better prices or high quality of care. If there was such an incentive, most people would shop for better prices and better quality. However, many people are covered by a health insurance plan where they are told where to go and which doctor to see. These individuals do not shop for quality or for price. Market forces can improve both the quality of medicine and the cost of medicine in the United States. Health savings accounts are an example of one instrument that can bring the idea of market forces into the health care field.”