Health Care Reform I Would Support

One of my commenters challenged me to discuss what I would support in healthcare.  Here are fifteen points. Some are state, some are federal, but I am against new federal taxes, new federal bureaucracies, or single-payer, or other bloated government monstrosities in general.   Here are 20 commonsense ways to address healthcare I would support.

1. Allow small businesses and individuals to group together and buy insurance.
2. Allow insurers to sell across different states, preventing state mandates from driving up the cost of insurance.  Right now, you’re stuck paying for anything your state legislators decide should be covered, which is more than another state's legislators may decide should be covered.  This includes major and minor pieces, but these unfunded mandates push up the costs for all of us. 
3. Mandate the full cost of insurance be shown by employers, so people aren't suprised when they go on COBRA.  COBRA is insurance portability.  It's only wildly expensive if your employer is paying the lion's share.  Which means if you're currently paying $300 a month, and then find out COBRA will cost you $2000, it's because your employer is paying $1700 a month for you.  Those are hidden wage increases people don't count as their compensation. 
4. Remove tax deductions from insurance for employers, or add them for individuals and business owners.  Level that playing field to increase the ability to change jobs.
5. For the uninsured, increase the number of local clinics available for routine treatment.  Make it easier for Walgreen’s and Walmart to address these issues.
6. Allow for more choice of catastrophic coverage – so those with a tough economic time can go to a clinic for regular treatment, emergency rooms for real emergencies, and have catastrophic insurance in case of cancer or other types of illnesses.
7. Close the border. This is crushing border states, and now moving inward. 
8. Allow hospitals to turn away patients without insurance for non-life threatening injuries (state law not federal).
9. Work on improving Medicare and Medicaid billing  Too many doctors are not accepting Medicare for new patients, and it's a crisis that is coming.  Fix the problem on the government side. 
10. Eliminate the false distinction of the employer portion of Medicare and Social Security.  This is another wage issue, where people are paid less because employers are forced to contribute money for their employment.  Small businesses and individuals pay the combined employer and employee tax.  Every American should know the total burden is actually 15.3%.  This would raise wages, but that money would still be gone.  Let's do away with these false, hidden taxes.
11. If we must have a public option, it needs to be a “we’ll stop you from dying right now, but we’re not taking care of you permanently.” People need to learn that they have to work harder and pay for gold-plated insurance.  
12. Prevent insurance companies from dropping patients who pay their premiums on time.  Set a ceiling on the amount a premium can be raised in a year. 
13. Create a rating system on billing and complaint response for insurance companies. One of the major problems is small claims that aren't worth the time to fight.  If you fight a $10.00 charge, it will cost you more than just accepting it.  Create a Better Business Bureau type of system where companies compete to get the best rating. 
14. Make pre-existing conditions apply to all people equally (which will raise costs).  Individuals should be able to purchase as much as those working for companies (when we had a pre-existing condition, we incorporated, and the insurance was then paid by the company, which covered the whole thing).
15. Those who voluntarily choose to forgo insurance are not penalized, but they should have a waiting period before a non-life threatening illness is found when they are uninsured.
16. Children’s insurance, S-Chip, should only be provided for children under the age of 18.
17. Mandate that all federal, state, and local union and government worker benefits promised in collective bargaining be fully accounted for and paid up front based on realistic growth scenarios.  Do not allow elected officials to sign contracts pushing costs into the future when they are out of office, but keeping the taxpayer on the hook. 
18. Publish health costs for all elected and confirmed officials in a lump based on branch.  Show Congress, Cabinet Heads and President, and Supreme Court.  We want to see what it costs to keep our representatives healthy, and compare that with what the rest of us get.
19. Post final bills for all health system changes up for 2 weeks online before they are voted on, to allow the public to see them.
20. Broadcast all negotiations for healthcare changes live on C-Span, as was promised by President Obama when he ran for office.

Much of this can be accomplished in small bites, and every bit of it makes sense.  It drives the system to more transparency, more accountability, and more freedom, and away from bureaucratic decisions.  It forces people to take responsibility, but works against allowing insurance companies to take advantage of the individual.  Mostly, it brings the system into parity and eliminates the distortions that warp choices about jobs, costs, and health choices.

And while you're at it, you can slash non-essential government programs to free up room to pay down the deficit and prepare for the Medicare trainwreck heading our way.  A strong economy with a small government can handle it.  A bloated, broke economy and government can not.

Comments

[Catawissa Gazetteer]

Someone needs to explain to me where the government gets the authority to regulate the medical industry to begin with. That being said:

I like your ideas but how about these:

1)Insurance will only cover catastrophic loss. Like homeowners insurance, which would pay for a house fire but not installing a lock on the door.
2)Remove all government licensing requirements for medical providers. Professional organizations can provide certifications to those that want them. Let the buyer beware.
3)Get rid of FDA and all restrictions on sales of medicines and other drugs. The FDA didn't protect anyone from bad drugs and other stuff from China , so what do they do? Again, let the buyer beware and let the industry set up its own certifications.
4) Remove ALL non market driven forces from medical industry. Let the "invisible hand" work.

I understand the historical reasons for most of the system as we have it today and I also know that some, VERY MINOR, regulation may be needed. The problem is that this regulation should not come from government. Government has consistently proven itself incapable of doing anything right. I would expect to see some problems with a free market system as far as quality and dishonesty, however I believe that the market would go much further in reducing these instances than government regulation ever will; and it will do it more efficiently.

Bad doctors and bad drugs would quickly find themselves without customers. The internet has created an environment that allows for the rapid dissemination of information. We're big boys and girls now, we can walk by ourselves.

[bryan]

I tried to reply to your e-mail to me and it got returned. No need for my questions here(unless you want). Can I get your e-mail, please?

Thanks