Republicans in the state House of Representatives are planning to make some changes that voters have said they want. The House GOP plan, according to a Pittsburgh newspaper, could mean ending the use of state fleet cars, clamping down on per diem abuses and making a contribution toward taxpayer-funded health care.

A good start, most would say.

Per diems, intended to reimburse lawmakers for expenses related to being in Harrisburg on state business, are easily abused. State lawmakers are not required to turn in receipts for expenses, unlike just about every person who travels for business. Because of that, state pols can make a profit with per diems, if their actual expenses are less than the $157 a day they receive.

Most taxpayers would ask why lawmakers can’t retain and turn in receipts — like other people.

Too often, elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., live in another world, very much separated from the lives their constituents live.

Already in Washington, newly elected members of Congress, including some associated with the Tea Party, are being wined and dined by lobbyists. According to the Washington Post, some Tea Party-backed candidates who railed against corporate influences in Congress are enjoying the perks of lobbyist-funded parties and fundraisers — even before being sworn in next month.

The Post noted that despite the conservative rhetoric about cutting spending and the troubling effect of corporate lobbyists, “the speed with which congressional Republicans have reverted to business-as-usual has been impressive.”

Back in Harrisburg, House Republicans, who won control of the lower chamber in the November election, are promising to bring reform where voters have expressed frustration. Use of state-owned cars and per diems is a start.

Requiring lawmakers to contribute toward their generous health care coverage is another overdue change. But, the initial plan calls for House members to contribute just 1 percent of their salaries toward their health care coverage. Anyone outside of Harrisburg will see that as a token gesture.

In the private sector, employees routinely pay for about 20 percent of the cost of their health care coverage. For most government employees, that figure is closer to 12 percent — and that, too, is a problem for many taxpayers.

For elected officials to pay nothing, or a token amount, is a slap at taxpayers and further isolation from the real world.

Lawmakers should contribute to their health care coverage at a level comparable to what their constituents pay. At the proposed 1 percent of salary, members of the state House of Representatives would pay just $66 a month, with party leaders at higher salaries paying about $96 a month.

A more appropriate figure would be several times higher, maybe five percent.

The 1 percent figure would bring the House in line with what state senators pay. But it’s not enough, because it is far less than most people pay for lesser coverage.

Contributing an amount closer to the average in the private sector would connect lawmakers to the lives of their constituents. If they were all paying hundreds of dollars a month toward their health care, then, when health care costs jump by 15 percent in a year, they might notice the increase — and try doing something about it.

As it is now, they read or hear about the burden of rising health care costs, but they don’t feel it.

House Republicans are doing the right thing by planning some long-overdue reforms. But if they want voters and taxpayers to believe that they got the message in the November election, they will push for reforms that are meaningful — and maybe even uncomfortable.