By U.S. Representatives Sam Graves, Roy Blunt and Lynn Jenkins.

It always seems as if one pressing issue dominates each Congress. After Sept. 11, 2001, it was national security. After the 2006 elections it was immigration. Last summer it was our nation’s energy policy.

This year, Congress is expected to fundamentally reform health care. If the Democratic majority and President Barack Obama are committed to a truly bipartisan effort, then we have a real shot at success. If they take a go-it-alone approach, they might pass a bill, but it won’t improve people’s access to good care.

House Republicans formed the Health Care Solutions Working Group to talk with families, business owners and doctors to find the most effective ways to approach health care reform. The group has reached out to Democrats and the White House to let them know we want to help draft legislation with the ultimate goal of providing every American access to good, affordable health care, regardless of pre-existing conditions.

There are several areas where the group and the president agree. We all want to help Americans have greater access to health care, allow Americans who like their coverage to keep it, and improve lives through fitness and preventive care programs.

In addition to keeping your current health insurance, Republicans want to give people the freedom to select a plan that best meets their health and financial needs. If a preventive plan with coverage for catastrophic costs makes the most sense for young adults, there is no reason to force them onto the same insurance plan as a 60-year-old with high blood pressure – or to pay the same premiums.

We are concerned about what will happen if we adopt a so-called public plan, as many Democrats are proposing. This plan is a creative name for a government takeover of our health care system and lets a bureaucrat call the shots, not your doctor.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of a government plan would be the rationing of treatments that exists in countries with similar systems. There are countless examples of patients in England and Canada who’ve had to wait months for life-saving treatments. Though we have concerns with the state of U.S. health care, adopting faulty plans from other countries is not the answer.

Imagine a United States where bureaucrats can deny people a procedure based on economic data, not medical knowledge, or force people to wait in line for months for a routine checkup. Some might try to entice people to support this government-controlled plan because they say it will expand coverage. But coverage does not mean access, and if the government-run plan underpays doctors then access will become increasingly difficult. Many patients in countries with government-run care have to turn to a separate private plan to pick up the slack.

The Solutions Group developed policy solutions that make health care more affordable by cutting waste, fraud and abuse. We are committed to fixing medical liability rules that line the pockets of trial lawyers while emptying the pockets of patients by driving up costs. We can also reduce costs and help improve quality of life by promoting programs that prevent illnesses rather than simply treating them.

Current tax laws are geared to help large companies offer health insurance to employees. We need to change the tax code so small businesses can pool their resources and administrative costs to help provide coverage for employees. If employers don’t offer health care, Republicans want to give those tax incentives directly to individuals and create a consumer-friendly way to directly buy health insurance.

Access to good health care in America is too limited and its cost too high. Those are the facts. Republicans’ policy alternatives don’t read like a partisan manifesto but a realistic option that lays the groundwork for a productive dialogue.

Republicans are ready to work with the Democrats to help make health care better for all Americans.