Senator Ensign believes that important market-based reforms are critical to reaching these goals for hard-working Americans and their families. The first reform deals with the crisis created by high medical liability insurance premiums which has caused too many physicians to close their doors, severely limiting access for patients across the country, including Nevada. Senator Ensign has taken the lead on medical liability reform legislation to address this issue.

Senator Ensign is also working to provide greater access to health insurance through Small Business Health Plans which would allow business and trade associations to join together and offer affordable group health insurance to working families. Small businesses would be able to negotiate for the benefits they want at the prices they can afford, providing them with the same leverage that larger companies have had for years. Small businesses could finally afford to offer health insurance to their employees, greatly reducing the number of uninsured people across the country.

Health Savings Accounts are another innovative approach to increase accessibility to affordable coverage for major illness and allow consumers to save money, tax-free, up to a set limit, for routine medical expenses. The account holder or his employer can make contributions to the account. If all the money in a year is not used, it can be rolled over to meet future expenses. Senator Ensign wants to expand Health Savings Accounts and introduced the Affordability in the Individual Market Act to allow individuals and families who purchase high-deductible health plans on their own to use their Health Savings Accounts to pay plan premiums. He believes that Health Savings Accounts will encourage consumers to shop around for the best health care, helping our nation confront the rising cost of health care.