It's beginning to look like we might swing control of Congress and the Presidency over this.
Which you'd think would be the perfect time to introduce some health-care reforms that would actually work:
- End the employer-plan preference, allow individuals to buy their own plans, tax free.
- Allow employers the option of contributing towards an individuals own plan, rather than providing one.
- Allow businesses to join group plans, rather than forming a group of their own.
- Allow individuals to join group plans, of any group that will have them.
- Encourage high-deductible, catastrophic-only, plus health savings accounts.
- Allow individuals to buy insurance across state lines.
- End government-mandated coverage.
Of course, this is the GOP we're talking about. They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Make self-pay pricing for procedures the same as 3rd party pricing (insurance, medicare, etc.) or at least require that the pricing for procedures be available up front.
Make it legal to sell a hospitalization policy where insurance isn’t involved for routine doctors visits.