Posted on 11/15/2013 6:45:36 AM PST by Qbert
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz previewed a new plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it with different health care reforms.
"The only way to stop the problems is to admit this idea was fundamentally flawed to begin with," Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly. "At this point, starting over, stopping Obamacare, is the essence of pragmatism."
Cruz's approach differs from some congressional Republicans and Democrats who are working to pass a bill delaying the Obamacare individual mandate or help Americans keep their current health care plans.
Cruz said that he would release a bill to empower Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines, creating a "true national market." Insurance can only be purchased intra-state at present.
"In the coming weeks, I intend to layout a plan to provide exactly that, a plan to repeal Obamacare altogether and at the same time expand options for five million-plus people, who have lost their health insurance and 300 million people across this country to expand their options to have affordable, personal, portable health care," Cruz said.
Did anyone else catch Mary Landrieus’ statement yesterday: We’re going to fix Obamacare...not gut it...not repeal it..not defend it...FIX IT.” Denial, denial, denial.”””’
How much was Landrieu’s payoff in the original bill?
I seem to remember that her state got a block of grant money or something resembling a payoff.
The easy solution - Health savings accounts
Structure them to be portable between jobs, allow businesses to fully deduct the cost of administration, allow businesses to deduct the cost of any contributions to the plan. And to encourage businesses to hire full time by the following:
- allow an extra 2% deduction of the employee’s salary for salary positions that are 40+ hrs per week
- if the business contributes $100 or more each month, then allow the business an extra deduction of 2% of the employee’s salary
- allow the HSA accounts to be used to pay premiums, prescriptions, deductibles, etc.
- allow funds to be invested into investment options that can be liquidated to cash in 15 days
- set up a national opt-in insurance exchange where different types of standardized plans are offered.
I’m really not much of a betting man but I’d bet the farm that Cruz will come up with a plan that will work and make the Democrat (Obamacare thingy ) look like a bunch of elementary kids put it together, like the hag said, “ we have to pass it to know whats in it” How dam stupid can someone that represents such a high office be.
Even more of a first - you have to clear the debris away. Repeal is the only viable option at this point.
Smart man to say the least but until Reid & narcissistic sociopath in the white house are gone, nothing will change.
To replace, fix, or otherwise modify the Obama Socialized Health Insurance Tax, is to convince us Conservative voters that you sorry Senate Republican politicians have learned NOTHING from the disaster of the US Federal Government trying to Nationalize an industry.
The line in the sand has been drawn, Senators Cruz and Lee, step across it and you two will be just like all of the other sorry cave-in RINOs: nothing other than Democrat’s Republicans.
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Hold on now. Perhaps you should just wait and see what’s up before you go assuming anything. Cruz talked about letting companies compete across state lines,,,doesn’t sound very socialized to me. He may mean ‘replace’ as in ‘provide an alternative to’...Do you really think Cruz is going to push socialized anything?
The first time that Ted Cruz has been labeled a potential RINO.
Having watched two presidential cycles roll out on FR, I have a strong hunch that it won't be the last.
We’ll all I hope is that Sen Cruz’ plan builds in
1. Plenty of money to hire fed regulators with tons of hiring so as to secure a plentitude of voters
2 The creation of a bureaucracy modeled after say the Education Dep’t with lots of money slushing around that can be clandestinely siphoned into political campaigns and so forth....
SOMETHING. TELLS ME THOUGH, THAT A MAN LIKE SENATOR TED WILL NOT COUNTENCE SUCH......SO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE MIGHT JUST WIN THIS FIGHT AFTERALL! STAND BY AMERICA SEN G.S. PATTON-CRUZ IS COMIN’ OVER THE HILL’. AUUU RAH!
Shove your replacement where the sun doesn’t shine, just repeal it!
but I’d bet the farm that Cruz will come up with a plan that will work
Keep fixing things until Americans SHOVE Ted into the WH.
Ted Cruz Ping!
If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!
Politicians make no distinction between what they say and what they do or don’t do.
What a politician DOES is important to the voter.
What a politician SAYS can be used against him or her at the time of the next election by the victimized voter.
Politicians, once elected, have to be constantly “reminded” of what it was that they promised that they would do back in the day that we voted for them.
All Federal politicians must be kept on a very short leash, if we voters claim to have learned anything!
My comments to Conservative-so-far Senators Cruz and Lee are consistent with Reagan’s Rule: “TRUST, BUT VERIFY.”
That is a great idea! I’d also add carryover of any balances from one year to the next. (Or did I miss that? Still working on first cup of coffee here.)
I have a simple-minded principle that has served me well: The one who offers hope is the leader.
I wonder if Cruz might be able to grow a veto-proof majority before November of 2014, that is, can he offer hope to enough Dems that he can save their hides, so that they would come on the side of repeal. Suddenly, they don’t seem to be calling names any more.
THAT’S Statesmanship.
You are on the right insurance track.
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The main problem with the US Insurance Market is that it has been very tightly controlled by Federal and State Laws for decades.
Government Control increases cost to the consumer.
The Federal Laws prohibit competition, sales and tort reform across State Lines.
Thus, Insurance Companies have been forced for decades to hire platoons of permanent workers to make sure all of their policies are consistent with the ever-changing Federal Regulations on Insurance Companies.
The cost of the policy must then go up to pay for the wages, and office space for these regulation-staff members, plus annual increases in cost to the policy holder for payment to the staff members who received an annual company raise.
In a private company, there is only “Profit” or “Loss” at the end of each year. The private company equivalency of the politician’s National debt is what the private company calls “Bankruptcy.”
Since each State has its own Insurance Bureau, the consumer (=policy holder) also must pay for:
1.) that State Bureau’s staff that must be hired to be sure that the Federal Regulations are consistent with what the States politicians have recently added to the State’s Regulation Burden.
Insurance is thus a haven for endless increases in policy premiums due in large part to the Federal and State Regulations and the required staff to regulate the regulations;
2.) And the extra platoons of permanent workers that each insurance company has to hire to be sure of all 50 State conformity with each of their policies.
My point is that the consumer is paying far more than is needed for Federal and State Regulations that are no common-sense regulations.
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Back in the day if one broke the Law, a trial was held and that person went to jail.
In our PC World, nobody goes to jail because “All we need to do is to create a new Law or Regulation, so this terrible situation NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.”
In a freer Insurance market, with minimum Federal and State Regulations, our new jails would be ahead of building schedule, incompetent Insurance Companies would be bankrupt, and Insurance policy rates would be so low that even “the poor” could afford to pay their own way for non Government, hospital pro bono Health Insurance Policy.
Whatever the US Federal Government touches with its Federal Fecal Finger always increases our taxes, and National Debt Burden on those of us who are TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY.
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My concern is that our Federal politicians will miss this golden opportunity to “Meat Clever” the Federal Insurance Regulations down to a workable level, and thus allow the cost of an insurance policy to float with the supply and demand of a freer Insurance Market.
Senators Cruz and Lee have a great opportunity now to do so, and we should “encourage” them to do so.
HSA’s already allow the balance to carry over year to year and can invested thus potentially earn even more. If started as a young person, used carefully, employer contributes and medical expenses are normal, the person can have a substantial fund by the time they retire. It is at that age that they will need to start spending more of their account on health care.
For example:
Let say someone is 20 yr old at the start and starts with a 0 balance. Lets also assume that the person puts in $150 per month either on their own or combined with employer contributions. They purchase a $50/month catastrophic insurance plan. So a net of $100 per month goes into the account. At an average 8% return, by the time they are 30, that account grows to about 18,000.
Now about Thirty, people start having families so their monthly insurance is going to go up. Generally people also get better jobs and thus have more money to put into their plan. Lets now assume that the contribution per month, minus premiums paid leaves a monthly addition of only $25. By the time the individual is forty, the account has grown to about $40,000.
Now from forty to fifty, we are dealing with teens, braces, glasses, tonsils, etc. So we are going to assume that the individual puts just enough in to cover the cost of their insurance and that $2,400 per year ($200 / month) will be taken out of the account to cover these expenses. That would leave around $50,000 in the account by the time the person is fifty.
So from fifty to sixty-five, the kids have moved out, there are some monthly prescriptions and we are back down to a two person insurance plan. So back to adding $100 per month. At sixty-five, the account is worth about $190,000.
This then provides a pool of money to start paying against the health costs of old age and during retirement. If the person is able to make it to 75 and just cover their premiums or medical bills out of pocket (another 10 years of just earning interest) that account grows to over $400,000. That is enough to pay for or substantially defray the cost of nursing home, assisted living, etc.
Another interesting possibility, put $250 in to a child’s account when they are born. They will start their HSA with about $1,000 at 20.
So assuming the above scenario:
20 - $1000
30 - $20,000
40 - $47,000
50 - $67,000
65 - $245,000
75 - $528,000
Repeal and replace—with free enterprise. Opening up the insurance markets nationwide is a good first step.
Yup, and so far Senators Cruz and Lee seem to be well qualified to do so!
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