A Health Care Proposal
I know this is very presumptuous, but I want to share a health care proposal as an alternative to a single payer, public option. Yes, there are many details to my proposal that I don’t understand enough about, but then, the plan that we are being asked to accept is missing a ton of details.
My plan would include the following:
* Place every health insurance company into the national competitive pool and establish a national policy board with representatives from each state. States would no longer have separate insurance oversight, and all insurance companies would compete nationally.
* Require insurance companies to extend their group rates to affinity groups (social and professional organizations), government agencies, church groups, and small businesses.
* Implement health savings accounts available to all citizens to be managed by financial institutions as an alternative to health insurance
* Government assist in premiums for low income, unemployed, and disabled Americans.
* Require proof of low-cost, catastrophic care insurance (cancer, major accident, chronic disease, etc.) as a part of the driver’s licensing process.
* Keep Medicare and Medicaid as is for the time being.
* Place reasonable caps on malpractice lawsuits through Medical tort reform.
* Relax unreasonable restrictions on what doctors can prescribe and practice
* Relax unreasonable restrictions on the testing of drugs and treatments and shorten clinical trials.
* Open the market to the importation of drugs and medical equipment.
This plan would lower medical costs, thereby lowering premiums charged by an expanded, free-market health insurance industry. Everyone would be insured except those who absolutely refuse which they have the right to do. Quality would be increased through greater competition. I welcome your comments as to why this would or wouldn’t work.