Time to Get to Work and Fix Health Care

One of the advantages of health care being run by private insurance companies is that government can regulate it. That is a much better option than the government itself running health care because who would regulate the government? You can always sue the insurance company. If the government screws up, you’re stuck. There are no options when the government is the ultimate decision maker.

President Obama may be coming to his senses and may or may not be considering the so called public option. Reality is meeting his ideology, and they don’t mix. Maybe now there can be some serious based effort to fix our health care system based on what is needed rather than what ideological beliefs dictate. Here is what they have to do:

1) Define the people who are uninsured so you can get a truthful idea of what reforms are actually needed, how many people are involved, and the cost of fixing the problems. He will discover that this is not a one size fits all problem.

2) Allow insurance companies to sell nationally based products as opposed to state based products to equalize the pool and the costs.

3) As a condition of being allowed to sell health insurance, the insurance companies shall contribute to a cooperative non-profit venture whose sole purpose will be to insure folks who can’t buy regular policies at affordable rates because of pre-existing conditions.

4) Require all citizens to purchase health insurance. No insurance, no driver’s license. The government can set standards for a basic, high deductible policy with health savings accounts and require the insurance companies to offer such a policy to those under the age of 30.

5) Allow the formation of insurance cooperatives with basic care standards for those who feel straight insurance policies are too expensive.

6) Make sure that all citizens who currently meet the qualifications for existing government programs get signed up.

7) For those who fall through the cracks, expand the existing Medicare program (perhaps to those over 55 who lose their jobs either through layoffs or plant closings) and Medicaid for those who simply can’t afford it. This should be paid for by increased Medicare contributions from those working…such is the price of keeping out of a single payer, government system.

We, as Americans, have indicated these past few weeks that we believe our health care system is the best in the world. We want to keep our choices and the government out of our medical decisions. By the same token, we must realize that nothing is free. We may have to bite the bullet of increased Medicare/Medicaid taxes in order to achieve the above. I think it is worth the price…to stay away from single payer, rationed care.