Posted on 05/03/2008 6:13:15 AM PDT by kellynla
To say that John McCain has a health care "plan" is to suggest that the presumptive Republican nominee has huddled with a bunch of experts and "stakeholders" to come up with a solution that guarantees something for everybody. Instead, Mr. McCain's approach to health care reform is similar to Ronald Reagan's view of government: It flows from a belief that more competition, freedom and greater individual choice will lead to more innovation, greater opportunity and increased well-being.
First, Mr. McCain will substitute the dictates of government with decisions of doctors and patients by shifting the tax breaks and buying power now reserved for large corporations and insurance companies and extending it every individual. That would be accomplished by giving people the chance to take a $5,000 tax credit for health insurance costs and combine it with a tax-free health savings account.
Second, Mr. McCain would make it easier (and hopefully cheaper) to buy health care and design coverage to meet family needs by allowing businesses and nonprofits other than insurance companies to offer coverage. People would be free to purchase insurance and seek out care anywhere from anyone meeting certain accreditation standards. Providers would include retail health services such as MinuteClinic, COSTCO, banks, investment companies, hospital or health companies such as Wellpoint, Humana or online services such as Revolution Health, Google Health, etc. Government's role would be to set some standards of transparency, solvency, etc. as new providers of health care money managers and service coordinators who can operate nationally take place.
Third, Mr. McCain would turn treating and preventing disease into enterprise to be rewarded in the marketplace from an activity that insurance companies avoid covering.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Except he wants to include employer-paid benefits as taxable income.
Amen. This is the best alternative I have seen so far. In fact, it’s the ONLY alternative I’ve seen so far.
Say McCain's plan is enacted; employers dump healthcare; people are turned out to fend for themselves. If that's where you started, so that from the beginning you could plan and purchase your own insurance, fine. But if you in the meantime have a "pre-existing condition," not only would $5000 not do much, but you would be unable to get insurance anywhere.
This is a serious flaw with any "immediate privatization" program, because it would be in the best interests of employers to get out of the health care business (well, some would still see it as a hiring advantage, but many wouldn't), and insurance companies would have no incentive to take anyone (and that will be MILLIONS) with "pre-existing conditions."
Just as I am in favor of privatizing SS, I think you have to do so while honoring the commitments already made to those who have planned on those commitments. So if the legislation addresses this, it will be good. If not, it will be a disaster, and will likely be the wedge the lefties use to destroy a privatized health care system.
Do the “rich” get a credit?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Insurance is the biggest scam out there. It has created an artificial market. If we get insurance out of the system entirely, costs would drop dramatically because the doctors and hospitals would only be able to charge what the patient can pay.
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