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Thank
you
for
subscribing
to
my
E-Newsletter!
I
wanted
to
reach
out
to
you
today
and
make
sure
you
saw
my
Sunday
column
in
LNP
about
a
set
of
bipartisan
health
care
ideas
proposed
by
the
Problem
Solvers
Caucus.
You
can
read
the
full
column
below
or
online
here.
You
can
send
me
your
thoughts
on
this
topic,
or
any
other
topics,
by
sending
me
an
email
here.
The
American
People
Deserve
Solutions
By
Rep.
Smucker
Appeared
in
Sunday's
LNP
When
you
sent
me
to
Congress
to
serve
as
your
representative,
I
attended
the
new
member
orientation,
which
was
a
great
opportunity
to
meet
new
colleagues
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle.
As
we
met
and
shared
our
vision
for
the
country,
we
agreed
to
try
to
work
together
as
much
as
possible
and
find
common
ground
among
Republicans
and
Democrats.
So
we
signed
a
civility
pledge
and
formed
a
nonpartisan
caucus.
You
might
not
read
it
in
the
news,
learn
about
it
on
cable
television
or
hear
it
on
the
radio,
but
during
the
first
seven
months
of
my
term,
I’ve
been
working
across
the
aisle
to
find
that
common
ground,
and
so
have
others.
Recently,
the
Problem
Solvers
Caucus,
a
bipartisan
group
of
more
than
40
lawmakers
that
I
joined,
proposed
a
set
of
health
care
priorities.
While
the
Senate
was
unable
to
advance
the
goal
of
repealing
and
replacing
“Obamacare,”
I
believe
it’s
necessary
to
continue
efforts
to
relieve
the
American
people
of
“Obamacare’s”
burdensome
costs,
regulations
and
uncertainty.
The
health
care
system
is
broken
—
that
hasn’t
changed
in
the
last
seven
months
—
but
simply
letting
American
families’
health
care
collapse
would
be
unacceptable.
Problem
Solvers
Caucus
is
presenting
a
path
forward
to
stabilize
the
insurance
marketplace,
repeal
onerous
taxes
and
regulations,
and
ensure
affordable,
quality
care.
These
critical
areas
of
bipartisan
agreement
start
fixing
our
broken
health
care
system.
The
caucus’s
proposals,
as
outlined
in
a
statement
by
co-chairs
Reps.
Tom
Reed,
R-N.Y.,
and
Josh
Gottheimer,
D-N.J.,
are
as
follows:
1.
"Bring
cost-sharing
reduction
payments
under
the
Congressional
oversight
and
appropriations
process,
but
ensure
they
have
mandatory
funding."
2.
"Create
a
dedicated
stability
fund
that
states
can
use
to
reduce
premiums
and
limit
losses
for
providing
coverage
—especially
for
those
with
pre-existing
conditions."
3.
"Adjust
the
employer
mandate
by
raising
the
threshold
on
the
requirement
for
employers
to
provide
insurance
under
the
employer
mandate
to
businesses
of
500
employees
or
more"
(the
threshold
is
now
50).
Additionally,
define
“full
time”
under
the
employer
mandate
as
a
work
week
of
40
hours.
4.
Repeal
the
medical
device
tax,
which
adds
a
2.3
percent
sales
tax
on
medical
device
supplies.
5.
"Provide
technical
changes
and
clear
guidelines
for
states
that
want
to
innovate
on
the
(ACA)
exchange
or
enter
into
regional
compacts
to
improve
coverage
and
create
more
options
for
consumers.”
I’d
still
like
to
see
“Obamacare’s”
individual
mandate
repealed
and
would
like
to
put
an
end
to
more
of
the
law’s
costly
taxes.
But
why
not
take
the
first
steps
to
fix
the
employer
mandate
and
end
the
medical
device
tax?
These
two
areas
of
agreement
will
have
a
large,
positive
impact
on
small
businesses
and
lower
the
cost
of
things
like
pacemakers,
stents
and
artificial
joints
for
consumers.
Washington
has
enough
people
unwilling
to
talk
to
each
other.
The
American
people
are
still
waiting
for
—and
deserve
—
solutions.
When
the
Problem
Solvers
Caucus
meets,
we
aren’t
Republicans
or
Democrats.
We’re
a
room
full
of
lawmakers
putting
our
constituents
first
and
working
together
toward
commonsense
solutions.
But
this
kind
of
effort
—
bipartisan
action
to
help
American
families
—
isn’t
new.
Here
are
a
few
more
examples:
—
The
House
unanimously
passed
legislation
I
co-sponsored
to
strengthen
career
and
technical
education
nationwide
—
a
direct
investment
in
schools
like
Thaddeus
Stevens
College
of
Technology,
Pennsylvania
College
of
Health
Sciences,
and
others.
These
schools
prepare
students
for
good-paying,
family-sustaining
jobs
that
are
in
demand
and
available
now.
—
The
House
recently
passed
sanctions
against
Iran,
North
Korea
and
Russia
with
bipartisan
support
of
more
than
400
House
members.
It
passed
the
Senate
and
was
signed
into
law
last
week.
—
The
House
passed
multiple
bipartisan
bills
to
crack
down
on
human
trafficking
—
increasing
protections
for
victims
and
toughening
penalties
for
traffickers.
— The
House
and
Senate
passed
a
bill
with
broad
support
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle
that
overhauls
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
to
deliver
better
care
to
our
veterans.
This
bill
has
been
signed
into
law.
In
keeping
my
promise
of
civility
and
working
to
get
things
done,
I’ve
also
personally
worked
in
a
bipartisan
fashion.
I
introduced
the
bipartisan
Susquehanna
National
Heritage
Area
Act
to
help
preserve
the
natural
beauty
of
our
community.
I
also
teamed
up
with
Rep.
Terri
Sewell,
a
Democrat
from
Alabama,
to
pass
legislation
making
it
easier
for
foster
children
to
be
placed
in
the
home
of
a
family
member.
Our
bill
received
broad
bipartisan
support.
In
fact,
of
the
100
bills
I
have
co-sponsored,
82
of
them
have
support
from
both
Republicans
and
Democrats.
I
know
I
won’t
always
agree
with
my
colleagues.
But
that’s
good
because
the
purpose
of
the
House
is
to
be
a
deliberative
body
with
a
wide
range
of
views
across
the
political
spectrum.
We
are
supposed
to,
and
in
fact
even
expected
to,
disagree.
But
we
should
do
so
in
a
civil
and
respectful
manner.
As
a
governing
conservative,
I
am
committed
to
the
principles
of
limited
government,
free
enterprise
and
opportunity
for
each
and
every
Pennsylvanian
and
American.
In
order
to
make
our
government
more
efficient,
effective
and
accountable,
I’m
listening
to
all
points
of
view
from
both
constituents
and
colleagues
and
working
to
find
creative
solutions
to
complex
problems.
And
that
includes
health
care.
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