Jim Risch, currently serving as Idaho's 28th Senator, holds a longstanding commitment to public service and a passion for good government. Known for "pragmatic decision-making," Risch is what his peers call a "no-nonsense, get-the-job-done leader" with more than four decades of experience in elected office. He has been recognized by the National Journal as the “Most Conservative” Senator in the United States Senate for two years in a row.
Ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare is among the greatest challenges our nation faces. Our current healthcare system is too expensive and inaccessible to far too many. We must take action to improve it, but it is important there are thoughtful and deliberative discussions before any changes are implemented.
It is critical that these improvements go through a collaborative process with policymakers, consumers and providers of healthcare. Solutions imposed by mandate without allowances for real world conditions will and should fail.
I will not support taxing medical benefits, nor a plan that creates a government-owned entity. We should all remember that we currently have two mammoth social programs on the books-Social Security and Medicare-both of which I support, but both of which are financially unsustainable. I feel strongly that we should fix Social Security and Medicare first before creating any new mammoth social programs that we cannot pay for.