"Conservatives" and Republicans keep claiming that they have their own ideas for health care reform but never really share them.  Do you want to know why?  Their ideas are either stupid or ineffective.  Anyway, Representative Michele McCarthy Bachmann has taken to the Townhall blogosphere to promote the Republican plan:

You see, there’s been no shortage of great ideas offered by Republicans which would give us much needed reform without breaking the bank. In fact, I’ve authored the Health Care Freedom of Choice Act to give people who buy insurance in the private market the same tax breaks as those who get it through their employers. The Tribune actually mentions this as one of several viable solutions for true health care reform.

The fact of the matter is: our country is broke. We’re close to $12 TRILLION in debt, an all-time high, and facing staggering deficits for years to come. Do this Congress and Administration care? Apparently not.

Let's ignore the fact at the moment that a tax break will add to the deficit (maybe not as much as the deficit neutal democratic plan - note the sarcasm here).  But, how does letting individuals get a tax break for individually buying insurance keep down costs??  Why would an individual go to the market as a private individual instead of being part of the pool through your employer.  A pool of employees can better negotiate price on the open market than an individual.  Further, why would a private employee give up their employer paying some of the cost of health insurance just to get a tax break on that amount?  Do you really think the employer would pass on the savings in health care by offering higher wages?  I highly doubt it.  Like must "conservative" proposals, it sounds nice until you actually think about it.

In fairness to Bachmann, she does link a Chicago Tribune report on other "great" Republican ideas:

Let insurers sell policies across state lines. That would loosen the strangling state-by-state regulations and unleash competition to drive premium prices down

It would do no such thing.  Look, there are not many insurance companies out there - they just set up shops in different states so that they can offer services in those states.  If you allow insurance companies to sell policies across state lines, they will all just set up shop in the state with the least amount of requirements and regulations.  It would be a race to the bottom.  Guess what that mean, lower quality of service.  Further, if you do allow insurers to sell policies across state lines, then you have to give up the antitrust exemption since the justification for the exemption in the first place was that they were regulated by the states.

Expand the ability of small businesses, trade associations and other groups to set up insurance pools to offer coverage at more attractive rates

Sounds good, but how exactly are you going to do that, and how much is it going to cost?  Where are these pools going to get the money to create reserves to offer coverage?  Is the Federal government initially going to fund the reserve - isn't that like the public option?  Are we going to give them a lower reserve requirement?  What happens when they go under?  What happens then?  I seriously doubt that small businesses would pool resources to self-insure, they just don't have the resources on their own. 

Control health costs in part by reining in the medical malpractice system that raises insurance premiums and forces doctors to order tests to protect themselves from lawsuits. Limiting certain kinds of damage awards would reduce spending on health care by about $11 billion in 2009, or about one-half of 1 percent, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. Think about that in human terms: Reform would save millions of patients the expense and trauma of unnecessary tests and procedures.

Oh yes, the red herring of medical malpractice reform.  Many states have such reform but they do not have lower health care costs (although they may have lower malpractice insurance premium rates).  Further, it will not stop people from bringing malpractice suits - it will only limit recovery.  And the limits people are proposing are higher than what most people recover.   The best way to stop medical malpractice suits is through single-payer.  Oh, did I mention again that Federal medical malpractice reform is unconstitutional.  Why do "conservatives" have such disrespect for our Constitution.

Well, that is it for the Republican/"conservative" plan for health care reform.  All it does is ensure greater profits for the insurance industry and lower quality service for Americans.  No wonder they are not pushing it and no one is listening.