Health Care Reform

Well, they have done it again.  Our President and our Congress have found a way to be completely usless and have created a shell with nothing in it that even closely resembles health care reform. Nothing that covers the uninsured or cuts the cost of medical care.  But they did find a way to cut payments to doctors an hospitals under Medicare and Medicade.  Nothing like increasing the out of pocket costs to those who can least afford it.

Here are some of my thoughts on what could be done:

1.  Every business that is having financial trouble cuts cost by cutting jobs, salaries, pension plans, healt care insurance and benefits. That sure is where our country is according to our President and Congress.  Well, what about every Federal Government elected official and all appointed positions and personell taking a 30% salary cut.  All appointed staff that isn't completely needed for national security be cut-yeah-that means all the aides to our represenatives and senators!!

Starting January 1, 2010 there will be no pension plan for any Federally elected or appointed cabinet and staff personell, congressmen, senators and president.  They can pay into a 409.  There will be no expense accounts for all, including travel expenses, food, or entertainment expenses for anyone in the federal government.  There will be no more federal health care plans for the elected, appointed staff and cabinet members.  They are welcome to purchase their own insurance.

The hired federal employees will get what they are getting now, but with no additional raises or increased benefits.

Now let us see if they can live like the rest of us!!!!

2.  Forget creating a new "government insurance program" or adding to Medicare, let's just give vouchers to all those who do not have insurance.  Plain and simple.  A federal wage earnings chart that shows how much each individual will  to pay for insurance premimums base on their income or lack of, and the federal government will issue a voucher for the remaining yearly fee.  Individuals are then free to choose any insurance plan they want, any doctor or hospital they want, and any cost of a plan they want.  However, because of the windfall of income to insurance companies, there will be new federal regulations on insurance companies-simple-no pre-existing conditions for coverage denial, no insured person can be dropped from coverage or denial of benefit payments for services needed and rendered, and no premimum cost scale based on age, sex, race, or illness or pre-existing health conditions.  Doctors will determine treatment and tests needed on the individuals need, not on predetermined procedures by insurance bean counters.

3.  Insurance follows the person, not the job.  Premimum payments will not increased on an annual basis, but may be reviewed by insurers, and based on their profit numbers, decisions to increase or decrease may be made every 5 years. 

Now, that creates no federal government run health care plan, that should satisfy the right.  It covers all that are not insured or are underinsured, that should satisfy the left.  And last, but least, it actually covers the unisured, and if they choose not to take advantage of this and remain uninsured, then other that life saving meausres, health will not be available to them.  Children through 18 years of age would be covered at no cost.  The cost to the taxpayer should be a fixed annual rate and not change for five years, except for the number of people changing due to the job market.

Just a thought today:

What if our representatives and our senators forgot what party they belonged to and looked at our health care problems as concerned and empowered people dedicated to do the best thing for all of the American people.

What if our representatives and our senators forgot the "favors" and contributions that have tied them to the medical, drug companies and insurance industries and remembered the "favor" they owe to the American people for voting them into office. Do you think that that would make a difference in how the tackle the health care problem?