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Why
Not National Health Care ? A Solution to Our Nation's Health Care Problem Everyone
is Covered Better
than Europe
and Canada HERE IS MY PROPOSAL: A private insurance based National Health Care System covering everyone. It retains personal choice, competition and free enterprise. This is how it would work: Every
legal resident of the United States is
issued a health insurance voucher worth,
let's say, $8,000 per
year. This is every person of
every age that is legally residing in the Vouchers
may be used only to pay the premiums for approved private
health insurance plans. They
possess no other redemption value. Only approved health insurance plans can redeem vouchers with the Approved private health insurance plans compete for business based on their reputation for service and price. To achieve competition based on price and value, plans may charge less than the full voucher value and/or offer more coverage than the required minimum. To prevent premiums from automatically equaling voucher value and to encourage price competition, policy holders will receive a rebate of one-half the amount their voucher is redeemed less than its face value. AS A RESULT: §
Every person legally in our country can pay for reputable
health insurance. Even the
homeless man living under a bridge. No one goes without medical
care. No one. §
The insurance pool will include healthy young people that
do not now buy insurance, thus lowering insurance premiums.
In essence, our entire population becomes the insurance pool. The
problem of healthy young people forgoing this expense at the expense of
those that pay will be resolved. §
People have freedom of choice with respect to the
providers they use and the health insurance company from which they buy
their policy. §
All legal residents have the same minimum standard of
extensive health care available to them. §
No one goes bankrupt because they have the misfortune of
being genetically disposed to some condition, getting a rare illness or
being in an accident. §
Any person seeking medical care without proof of
insurance is either illegally in the U.S. or has, stupidly, not obtained health insurance to which they
are entitled. §
As now, health care providers will have to compete for
patients through advertised promises, reputation and price.
As now, providers must satisfy patients and insurance companies or
else they will fail to prosper. §
The government will not be involved in the claims
and payment process. Through the natural incentive of profit
motive, fraudulent claims will be identified and dealt with much better by
insurance companies than salaried government employees and contractors.
Governments’ costs to administer health care programs will be
reduced. The role of the
Federal Government will be to identify eligibility, issue/redeem vouchers
and enforce honesty standards on insurance companies. §
No employer will need to offer health insurance benefits
for employees and retirees. Pension
plans that do, will no longer need to include a lifetime health care benefit. §
The prices of private employers' goods and services will
tend to be lower or their profits will be higher. §
Lower prices will create increased §
Increased profits will increase income tax revenue. §
People will not be trapped in jobs and locations because
their current employer provides a health care benefit. §
More people will start their own businesses -- doing what
they really want. §
There will be one less "stress" to trigger
personal finance or mental health problems. §
Consideration of Government requirements for employer
health coverage will be eliminated from employer hiring practices. §
Illegal immigrants will be identified when seeking health
care. They will be deterred
from coming into the §
Wanted persons and visa holders that have overstayed will
raise suspicion when they seek health care without insurance. § The health care industry (providers, suppliers, education, insurers) will boom and become a major segment of the economy. The vast number of people working in health care should create a much greater awareness of medical problems and causes – leading to a healthier populace. §
Underserved areas will attract medical providers because
the residents can pay for care. WITH A $2.5 TRILLION PRICE ANNUAL TAG, HOW WE WILL PAY FOR THIS ? ANSWER: I AM CONVINCED THAT AT LEAST THIS AMOUNT IS THE CURRENT ANNUAL COST OF (i) OUTLAYS BY OUR CITIZENS, (ii) OUTLAYS BY EMPLOYERS AND (iii) GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION -- THAT WILL BE ELIMINATED.
CONSIDER: · First and foremost: Let's realize that those now making payments for health insurance and care are already paying for the non-payers. It is buried in the higher health care prices paid by those who actually pay. This plan will eliminate non-payers, reducing the bad debt expense and lowering costs. · Increased profits by American businesses will produce increased tax revenue. · The itemized deduction for medical care will be eliminated -- increasing tax revenue. ·
MEDICARE and MEDICAID
will be eliminated -- and, thus, those annual outlays and costs of
operation. Workers and
employers will no longer have the 1.45% payroll deduction and employer
contribution respectively. ( 2.9% of all gross employment earnings
in the · Retirees on Medicare Part B will no longer have monthly premiums of $110 and higher. ·
Employer contributions toward employee & retiree health insurance premiums will
not be needed. This will further
increase profits and taxable income.
For public employees, this
cost will be eliminated from Government budgets. · Eliminate funding to Military Medical facilities for care provided to non active duty personnel (dependents and retirees). When non active duty patients are served (e.g., at remote locations and in emergencies), reimbursement will be obtained from these patients' insurance plans. · Eliminate funding to prisons for medical care of incarcerated persons. When these patients are served, reimbursement will be obtained from the patients' insurance plans. (If a prisoner escapes, their health insurance cannot be renewed or used without detection.) · This plan eliminates the main causes for the poor perception of "National Health Care" in other countries. This plan eliminates the "single-payer system" because the Government does not process claims or make payments. Instead of worrying about reducing costs, the Government becomes a citizens' advocate against companies that wrongly deny claims. This plan eliminates loss of patient choice as an objection. This plan eliminates absence of competition as an objection, thus preserving the higher quality of products and services that free enterprise produces. ·
Admittedly, this plan would create a situation that many
object to; namely, the national identification of everybody.
But, think about it: Would
this be so bad ? Don't we
already have Social Security Numbers ?
Aren't there some advantages to this ?
Law enforcement, voting honesty, etc.
I have no objection to being identifiable.
What kind of people object to being identified ?
Answer: the very people that ought to be identified.
Is this such a high price to pay for a high level of civilization ? · The number of government payments to redeem vouchers from insurance plans will millions fewer than the number of claims for individual episodes of care. Due to this smaller number, claims would be less susceptible to undetectable fraud as is currently the case with MEDICARE and MEDICAID. The insurance companies will run anti-fraud programs with respect to their claims.
If we are really the nation of Big Thinkers and Big Doers we claim to be, ……….. WHY NOT ?
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