Posted on 03/03/2015 7:13:08 AM PST by GIdget2004
Three House Republican chairmen on Monday night outlined a healthcare plan to replace ObamaCare, if the Supreme Court guts the president's signature healthcare initiative. The court is this week hearing arguments in a challenge to key ObamaCare subsidies.
The plan from Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and John Kline (R-Minn.) joins a separate proposal from Senate Republicans unveiled on Sunday night. Republicans are looking to show that they will be ready if the Court invalidates subsidies that help people buy insurance in roughly three dozen states. If the Court rules against the law, the chairmen write in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Then what?"
"What about the people who will lose their subsidies—and possibly their coverage?" they add. "No family should pay for this administration’s overreach. That is why House Republicans have formed a working group to propose a way out for the affected states if the court rules against the administration."
The plan would roll back ObamaCare's mandates to buy insurance while also providing tax credits to help people afford coverage.
The proposal is framed as an "off-ramp" from ObamaCare because it allows states to opt-out of mandates. Gone would be the requirement for individuals to buy insurance and for employers to provide it.
ObamaCare includes protection for people with pre-existing medical conditions buying insurance, whether they already have coverage or not.
This plan guarantees that people who already have coverage are able to renew it. It also includes some elements of ObamaCare, such as letting people stay on their parents' plans until they are 26 and prohibiting lifetime limits on benefits.
The second main element of the plan would offer people in states losing ObamaCare's subsidies some tax credits to help them buy insurance.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Not possible. This was the goal all along. The SCOTUS shuts down OCare, the R's fail to get their "alternative" passed, welcome to single payer! This has been the goal since the start. No way would single payer be accepted outright. There needed to be a transitional program, and OCare was it. For anyone who thinks this is going to get better, might want to rethink it. We're never going back to what we once had. Ever.
The problem with ObamaCare - besides the Constitutional ones - is that it does not control cost.
A better plan would contain these elements
1.Tort reform to make frivolous law suits less common against both doctors and pharmaceutical companies
2.Charges to people going to emergency rooms for non-emergencies.
3. Allow some medical procedures such as basic physicals, examinations for continuing medication (Prostate, Allergy,Blood Pressure and the like), Prenatal Care, vaccinations and basic triage to be performed by RN’s or PA’s. These professionals have the training to refer problems to a doctor if a problem is detected.
4. Give doctors a 100% tax credit if they provide 2.5 days a month of charitable work. For example providing care for free on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursday of each month.
5. Provide scholarships for medical school so that doctors graduate with a lower debt load.
6. Medical savings accounts that are transferable within families or designated beneficiaries.
7. Illegal Aliens must pay for treatment.
Not a perfect plan but better than ObamaCare
That is a great idea.
Add to it on the "low end" a Flat Fee for Family Service Primary Care Physician aka "Concierge Service" and you have a winner.
4 States allow these services and Michigan just signed it into law that it is not considered "insurance" and will not be regulated as such, and will open the door for this concept to expand.
Our State Senator here promoting this in Michigan is denoting savings conservatively of 20 to 30% and at one point denoted savings as high as 50%.
Either way, Concierge + HSA is the way to go IMHO
FWIW @ a tea party meeting it was discussed that the House and Senate know Obamacare will collapse, it is a question of what they will offer as a "plug-and-play" to O-care that works.
They better not frig this one up or they are history as a party...
“The second main element of the plan would offer people in states losing ObamaCare’s subsidies some tax credits to help them buy insurance.”
Fail.
The federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in health care.
This is an area reserved to the states.
If the SC strikes the federal exchange down, the Republicans should make sure that drives the stake through the heart of HillaryCare/ObummerCare/MarxCare for those states. Then announce the affected states are free to do, or not do, whatever they want, as the constitution allows.
They (Republicans) should also announce that ending taxpayer funded subsidies for this part of ObummerCare will be a small step in bringing under control the $18 trillion federal debt (not counting the off-the-budget liabilities).
The mere fact that Mr. Lightbulb Ban is mixed-up in this tells me I want absolutely nothing to do with it.
There is so much to this whole deal that we don't understand. I know, I have a best friend who is in hospital administration for Integris (Okc). This is one of the largest facilities in Oklahoma. Its a non-profit. He is part of the team that that writes off people's bills depending on income etc. They write off close to 50% of all of their income. With out writing it off they would lose the non-profit status. I guess with that being true, I fail to understand why costs are so hi?
But I agree... there is no way we are going back to pre-obammycare days.
The SCOTUS has already ruled the mandate a tax, thus constitutional. So the case in front of the court is only to address the merits of the law. However, there is a chance the law is struck down as unconstitutional for not treating states equally.
My plan allow insurance companies to insure across state-line. Allow medical savings accounts with major medical polices. Employers could contribute to the MSA. For low income families, the government provide tax credits that would be deposited into the MSA. Assistance for premiums also. State plans are in addition to Federal and the states descretion- no Federal involvement. All this replaces Medicaid, CHIP, VA and acts as model for Medicare. (note, special VA medical assistance for wounded warriors)
see my post #28
It'll be more expensive. You know how Congress loves to spend money, Democrats and Republicans both.
There are elements of that I agree with. Health savings plans makes a lot of sense. Government matching funds (whether you call them tax credits or gifts) makes sense too. And I guess care for people with pre existing conditions gets absorbed by the hospitals at some point?
Yep
Most of the people getting subsidies on Obamacare are already voting democrat because that is who feeds them.
More than half the states in the U.S. have enacted tort reform. Can you point to a single one where health care premiums went down?
Charges to people going to emergency rooms for non-emergencies.
Hospitals already do that. But you can't get blood out of a turnip. If a person doesn't have insurance then usually they don't have the means to pay.
Allow some medical procedures such as basic physicals, examinations for continuing medication (Prostate, Allergy,Blood Pressure and the like), Prenatal Care, vaccinations and basic triage to be performed by RN’s or PA’s. These professionals have the training to refer problems to a doctor if a problem is detected.
In most doctor's offices RNs and PAs already do much of the routine work.
Give doctors a 100% tax credit if they provide 2.5 days a month of charitable work. For example providing care for free on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursday of each month.
And what do you do about the cost of the lab work, the tests, hospitalization, prescriptions, etc?
Medical savings accounts that are transferable within families or designated beneficiaries.
You have to have the money to fund an FSA to begin with.
Illegal Aliens must pay for treatment.
See answer number 2.
Whatever efforts the republicans portend is a wasted effort.
When it come to obamacare as with most other legislation, The Supreme Court is a misnomer, it is the Kings Court!
Sorry I am 100% cynical when it comes to our current communist gov’t... there in nothing I see happening that suggests we live in a Constitutional Free Republic.
I would have the government pay for pre-existing conditions. It is much cheaper for the citizens to have the government make direct payment than insurance mandates. In a perfect world, I would get rid of all government transfer payments, but are nowhere near that. It is much cheaper just to pay people than the multiple programs, bureaucracy and red tape.
That makes sense to me.
The GOPe loves the EIC because the money goes directly to the, er, taxpayer rather than through a bureaucracy. But this is a great idea in terms of getting around the PR of losing Obamacare.
That is an unfounded assertion.
“That is an unfounded assertion.”
Do you have any evidence to the contrary, supporting your assertion?
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