Real Health Care Reform

The real purpose of the public option is a total government take-over of health insurance, that will reduce, not increase, competition. There are much better ways to promote competition. | Continue reading this entry »

We're getting close, folks. The Senate Finance committee will soon be voting on a bill, as will the House. Here is what Greg Scandlen says is coming with whatever they do: A mandate that you must buy health insurance and be fined or even jailed if you fail to comply. A major increase in the deficit to pay for all the new subsidies and bureaucracies. Rationing of services as determined by a federal committee. Increased taxes on everyone involved in health care. More | Continue reading this entry »

One of the key aspects to creating a consumer-driven healthcare system - with real choice and competition - is to reform federal tax treatment of health insurance. Currently, there is an unlimited tax break available for employer-sponsored health insurance. But individuals and families buying coverage on their own don't get this tax break. Instead, individuals should get their own tax break, or even better a tax credit, so that they can afford to go into the individual marketplace and buy | Continue reading this entry »

Michael Moore, who is promoting his new movie about the evils of capitalism, supports the public option. The public option is disingenuously promoted as a way to increase competition, which would logically give consumers more choice and lower prices. Competition is what makes the free market economy work so well. When there are many companies competing for your business, they all try to see how they can offer better service and lower prices, so they can get more customers. And the consumer | Continue reading this entry »

Last week Senator Max Baucus released his healthcare reform bill, titled "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009". According to the CBO, it will cost $856 billion over the next 10 years. Hundreds of amendments have been proposed, and markups are still happening. Here are some of the key provisions of the bill: Co-Ops - Each state will have at least one non-profit member-run health insurance operation to compete with private insurance companies. The taxpayers will fund federal loans, startup | Continue reading this entry »

Before this country enacts any major healthcare reform (which will affect all Americans and approximately 1/6 of our economy), we all need to go into it with open eyes and clear understanding. Unfortunately however, President Obama is saying things about healthcare that are simply not true. Let’s examine a few of them… 1. “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change | Continue reading this entry »

Despite the President's pledge to let you keep your current health insurance if you like it, lawmakers are currently considering proposals that could eliminate HSA plans as an option. At the very least, they may vote to outlaw the highest deductible, and thus least expensive plans. If you have one of these plans, this will mean an immediate rate increase once you are forced to change to a lower deductible plan. The Senate Finance Committee vote could be as early as tomorrow. HSA plans | Continue reading this entry »

One of the things I have heard you often promise is that if you like your current health insurance, you can keep it. But is that really true? I currently carry an HSA-qualified plan with a $7000 deductible. Because of the high deductible, this plan costs my son and I less than $150/month – about half of what a more conventional copay plan would cost. I am very health conscious, and rarely go to the doctor, so having this kind of plan saves me almost $2000 a year. I also have an inexpensive | Continue reading this entry »

Last week I was backpacking with my wife outside of Aspen, CO while President Obama gave a speech to congress urging passage of a healthcare reform bill. Though I was not able to hear the speech live (one of the greatest speeches ever given to Congress according to Nancy Pelosi), I did read the transcript. Unfortunately, the speech may have been great but did not do anything to solve the problems with the current proposals. The biggest of these is cost. The president is actually claiming | Continue reading this entry »

The idea of an inexpensive, government-run plan that covers everybody is quite appealing. And what if we could save all that money that goes to profit? Imagine how great this would be? Unfortunately, that is a fantasy. Everybody should look closely at what things are really like in Canada and England, the two countries that are most cited as the model that many think we should follow. To get a CAT scan in Canada, the average wait is 1 month. Sick people routinely spend 24 hours waiting | Continue reading this entry »