[JosephJames]

The Truth Shall Set You Free (Jn 8:32)!

[kabar]

The Republicans have put forth several bills such as HR 3400 and the Patient’s Choice Act.

[MNJohnnie]

Remover the legal barriers that prevents us from buying Insurance across state lines.

[cc2k]

My suggestions would be this:

• Medical Liability Reform is needed. Costs from lawsuits drive up the cost of care. And defensive medicine required in today's environment addes more to the cost of care.
• Allow Individuals who buy health insurance for themselves and their families the same tax advantages that employers currently enjoy.
• Set a sunset date, perhaps 7 years in the future, when employers who provide health insurance to their employees will no longer get any tax advantages.
• Allow all Americans to have Health Savings Accounts, with tax free contributions to those accounts to pay for medical care, prescription and over the counter drugs, and any required medical supplies and products. This money can be spent on co-pays and deductibles.
• Disallow any tax advantages for any “Health Insurance” with a yearly deductible of less than $2,500.
• Allow interstate business associations to set up health insurance plans under ERISA. Small businesses could pool their resources and combine their risk pools to get insurance rates comparable to large businesses. This would work well to reduce costs during the interim period until the tax advantages for Employers sunset.
• Allow interstate clubs and organizations with individual members to set up health insurance plans under ERISA. This would give individuals an alternative to the market in their home state, promoting interstate competition and lowering costs.

The Republicans have gone half way on some of these items. But they also go in the wrong directions.

Comprehensive, low deductible, low co-pay insurance policies are part of the problem. Employer provided health insurance is another part of the problem.

Those two items separate consumers from payers, and allow consumers to act irresponsibly because they are spending “other people’s money.”

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From the desk of cc2k:

Legislative Proposal: Federalism tax credit Term Limits from the Grass Roots The Two Million Frog March (Why 9-12-2009 spells trouble for Republicans and Democrats alike)