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Posted on 06/01/2010 1:40:06 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Most everyone agrees that health care in the United States has major problems, the biggest problems relating to skyrocketing costs. No one doubts the system is in need of reform. However, too many in Washington see tighter government controls as the solution. In fact, the problems are rooted in past government controls that created more problems than they solved.
Ironically, laws and policies in the 1970’s promoting Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) resulted from desperate attempts to control spiraling costs. However, instead of promoting an efficient health care system, HMOs took far too much control away from patients and physicians and gave it to the insurers. This excessive reliance on third-party payers instead removed incentives for insured patients to economize on health care costs, and allowed the problem to snowball. Furthermore, the third-party payer system created a two-tier health care system where people whose employers could afford to offer “Cadillac” plans have access to top quality health care, while others face financial obstacles in obtaining quality health care.
For these and other reasons, I introduced the Private Option Health Care Act last week. This bill places individuals back in control of health care by replacing the recently passed tax-spend-and-regulate health care law with reforms designed to restore a free market health care system.
First, the bill would provide all Americans with a tax credit for 100% of health care expenses. This tax credit is fully refundable against both income and payroll taxes. It would also allow individuals to roll over unused amounts in cafeteria plans and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs). Next, it would provide a tax credit for premiums for high-deductible insurance policies connected with a Health Savings Account (HSAs) and allow seniors to use funds in HSAs to pay for medigap policies. In addition, it would repeal the 7.5% threshold for the deduction of medical expenses, and thus would make all medical expenses tax deductible.
This bill would also create a competitive market in health insurance by exercising Congress’s Constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines. Ending these state-imposed bans would create a competitive national marketplace in health insurance.
The Private Option Health Care Act would also ensure that people harmed during medical treatment receive fair compensation while simultaneously reducing the burden of costly malpractice litigation on the health care system. The bill achieves this by providing a tax credit for negative outcomes insurance purchased before medical treatment. This type of insurance would provide compensation for any negative outcomes without having to go through lengthy litigation or giving huge sums to trial lawyers.
Finally, the Private Option Health Care Act would lower the prices of prescription drugs by reducing barriers to the importation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmaceuticals. Under my bill, anyone wishing to import a drug simply submits an application to the FDA, which then must approve it unless it is either not approved for use in the United States or is adulterated or misbranded.
The Private Option Health Care Act allows Congress to correct the mistake it made last month by replacing the new health care law with health care measures that give control to individuals, instead of the federal government and corporations. Our health is too vital to allow for the typical results of government interference and “fixes”.
fyi
Ya know, people DON’T have a right to health care, no matter what some idiots think.
However they do have a right lawyer. I think we should form a panel of doctors for the purpose of nationalizing all law practices...
That actually looks good.
A big problem is that those trying pay out of pocket cannot compete with large government employee pools, and medicare, that can set their own prices almost. That causes cost shifting.
Newsflash—doctors and patients haven’t been in control of healthcare since the 1940’s when companies offered health insurance as part of their compensation. It REALLY went to hell in 1965 with the passage of Medicare, and in 1973 with the passage of the HMO Act.
Waiting for someone to call Congressman Paul a nut in 5....4...3...2....
“Ya know, people DON’T have a right to health care, no matter what some idiots think.”
If the government paid for my education all the way through medical school, and subsidized my living expenses while I had no income, and paid me something for staying up all night at least twice a week for years, then they would have the right to my services, for an appropriate period of payback time. However, I received nothing from the government, and will never recover those years of my life, so why do others have a RIGHT to my efforts? What are my rights? Do I have any?
We will have to make sure that appropriate salary caps for lawyers are instituted say $12,000 per year and make lawyers ineligible to elective office at any place and time. According to Heinlein The second American revolution began with the day they hung all the lawyers.
This makes so much sense that it will ripped to shreds as foolish and silly by those currently in control down in DC.
BTTT
Just get government out of the way, and let a true free market emerge. That means scrapping government medical licenses, for example.
Go to the root.
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