Posted on 07/22/2009 8:01:29 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
In many ways, our health care system is broken. Even people satisfied with their own care are nervous about losing it, concerned about rising costs, and frustrated by the failure of government to bring about genuine reform. But the reason Congress has so far been unable to fix our health care problems is that Congress is too busy creating the problems in the first place. That’s why the current proposals emanating from the White House and congressional Democrats won’t work either. Those proposals would hand over the most personal, private undertaking of our lives — health care — to the most impersonal, inefficient, and broken system in our society — the federal bureaucracy.
These programs will only grow government, limit options, encourage waste and abuse, and ultimately lead to rationing of health care by bureaucrats and politicians in Washington. If you’ve ever wondered if there might be a better way, then my new Health Care Freedom Plan might be for you.
The plan, which I introduced last month in the Senate, is the opposite of a government takeover like HillaryCare in 1994 or ObamaCare this year. It does not force any American off of their current plan, but provides them with the ability to access and own a health plan that best meets his or her needs. Compared to the Democrats’ plan, my bill will cover more uninsured Americans, in half the time, at no cost because it will be paid for entirely by terminating the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and reclaiming the Wall Street bailout funds over the next five years.
Here’s how it works:
My plan puts individuals back in control of their health care decisions by offering every American a health care voucher — worth $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for families — to purchase a plan that best works for them. It doesn’t force anyone who likes their employer-sponsored health care to leave it. If you like your current plan, you can keep it. If you don’t have insurance, or if you do have insurance but might want to shop around, you can claim the voucher. My plan finally allows comparable tax benefits for those without employer-sponsored care, like small business workers and the self-employed.
The plan also breaks down barriers and creates a nationwide insurance market that doesn’t restrict individuals from purchasing insurance plans in other states. It also allows greater flexibility to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to pay for insurance premiums.
To bring down overall health care costs, my bill reduces predatory malpractice lawsuits against physicians and hospitals and brings more transparency to the industry by requiring that true costs of health care are disclosed before patients receive treatment. My plan also ensures that Americans with pre-existing health conditions would be provided access to affordable coverage through federal block grant funding of state high-risk projects.
Americans should have access to health insurance that they can afford, own, and keep — and that the government can never take over or take away. The Health Care Freedom Plan guarantees every American’s freedom to choose and own a plan that is best for them. You can rest assured that I will continue to fight for real reforms that allow Americans to regain control of their health care choices.
PING!
I am a big DeMint fan. I liked him before but when I heard him on Mark Levin’s show, I ordered his book I was so impressed.
Definitely a step in the right direction.
When everyone tells you to contact your Senator on an issue, I don’t have to...Jim DeMint is always on the right side. I am lucky to have him. Graham? Not so much.
Anything would be better than what Obam is pushing, but does the payment make sense? Cancelling the TARP and using those funds - isn’t that still borrowed money?
I like him too. Is there a reason his name hasn’t been tossed around as a possible contender for 2012?
I suppose it is the acme of foolishness to dare propose that the federal government get all the way out of health care?
Probably. But, I have a dream!
As far as I know. I'd rather the money be used to reduce the deficit.
Not to me.
Yet an emergency room visit, after hours and hours of wait, can run upwards of a grand, excluding tests, medicines or treatments. Why can you get a generic prescription for ten bucks, and have to pay a hundred times that simply to go to an emergency room?
The answer is: capitalism. Since there's open competition in the pharmacy market, chains are negotiating tough deals to attract customers to their place of business. But emergency rooms don't have such competition. They're not even required to disclose their prices.
Put in real tort reform, capping settlements for medical mistakes to be realistic. Allow people to purchase their own insurance to cover medical errors to go beyond that cap. End the hiding of medical costs to the consumer by requiring all medical bills to go to the consumer, and the consumer being required to get reimbursement from their insurance. Require every hospital to have a full and complete price list.
Above all, ban HMOs. If Kaiser wants to run a members only medical group, fine, they can run it the way they want to, as they own the hospitals, doctor's offices, etc that they use. But wipe out the other HMOs which use independent practices and hospitals.
Do this, and you'll have real health reform. Health costs will plummet, hospitals will be very interested in looking at new patients to make sure that they know who's paying the bill for the services. And doctors can return to general practice, leaving the specialties they fled to to avoid super high malpractice premiums.
It is vague on whether it will mandate every American to have insurance. The “vouchers” that are offered . . . MUST they be climed? What if I don’t have insurance simply because I don’t want it???? Will I be required to claim a voucher or purchase a policy?
I have no idea. Hopefully, there is not a mandate for insurance.
The only things the fed could do in a positive direction re health care is to get out of it altogether and pass REAL tort reform. The federal govt has no authority to do anything other than that.
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I like DeMint, but disagree with the above. Government should not be involved in health care, except with regard to the military and former military.
BUMP
This is a horrible idea. Just like all the incentives they are tossing at home buyers, car buyers, etc. Any time the government takes money from us and gives it to others instead of just letting us keep our own money in the first place they are dead wrong. I’m sure this will be the new GOP mantra in opposition to Obamacare. This is a great example of how both parties only care about controlling our lives rather than getting out of our way. Sure everyone has been singing DeMint’s praises because of his opposition to Obama’s policies, but it’s just that - opposition to Democrat policies that he’s interested in. Like all other “great” conservative GOP’ers, he will favor his party over the voters when the choice is presented.
Stop falling for the crap from both parties! We truly can spark a New American Revolution by replacing all these chumps with real Americans instead of politicians.
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