Wednesday, January 13, 2010

AMERICA NEEDS RESPONSIBLE NOT POLITICAL HEALTH CARE REFORM

Barrack Hussein Obama has turned out to be the ultimate Chicago gangsta politician......as painfully predictable as that may seem to anyone with a scintilla of common sense; it wasn't the change the dimwits on the left bargained for.
Secret deals, blatant payoffs, clandestine negotiations, etc. may all be common place in Chicago; but his O'ness campaigned on a promise of transparency as "CHANGE we can believe in ....yes we can".
The rampant pork barrel bribery behind closed doors has offended more than the C-Span producers.
The progressives must be scratching their collective naive heads in total disbelief.
Obama has delivered on his campaign promises about as well as Pat Lykos has locally in Harris County....total meltdown with a cavalier impunity and arrogance.
Relevant experience and qualifications do count in leadership roles.  Who knew?

Responsible health care reform should reward good behavior rather than corrupt politicians.
Instead of modeling failed and/or inferior health care delivery systems in total while trashing our existing system; it would be more appropriate to identify the issues and apply a risk benefit analysis of the options.
A basic health care reform bill should incorporate the following components:
1. Reward healthy behavior and penalize high risk behavior.
2. No penalties for pre-existing conditions that are not a result of high risk behavior.
3. Mandatory modified medical flex plans.
4. Indigent care clinics for the under-insured.
5. National tort reform.
6. Common sense overhaul of the FDA.
7. Free market insurance coverage that is portable with no carrier restrictions based on state lines.
8. Minimize and aggressively prosecute fraud and abuse.
9. Design a program that is open to innovation and not static.
10. Attract the best and the brightest to enter the medical field instead of running them off.

How long would your local grocery store stay in business if their customers could fill as many buggies as they wanted with whatever products they wanted for a $20.00 co-pay? Would you expect the quality of goods to go up under such a plan? Would you expect rationing?
How about if restaurants or car dealerships conducted business that way?  Steak and lobster or a burger? A Bentley or a Honda?
How insane.

Health care is a business and businesses thrive under a competitive free market capitalistic system better than any other model in the history of civilization.

The Plan:
All employees and any one else who wishes to participate in private American health care shall have the opportunity to purchase high deductible catastrophic health care from any carrier authorized to conduct business in the USA.
The employer shall be responsible for at least that portion of the catastrophic policy that was adversely rated as a consequence of the employee's job duties and may pay up to the entirety to attract and retain employees.
All coverage will be portable.
Every employee shall be required to contribute from each paycheck to a personal Flexible Health Care Plan until said plan is funded with sufficient dollars to cover his/her/family deductible; any contributions thereafter are optional.  When flex dollars are utilized for health care, salary contributions shall resume until minimum funding requirements are met.  All contributions to the flex account are tax deductible and excess contributions shall be permitted within statutory guidelines.  Flex dollars shall roll over at the end of each fiscal year and never escheat for lack of utilization in a fiscal year. Once the insured becomes eligible for Medicare he may, at his option, withdraw any remaining funds in similar fashion as to a Traditional IRA.  Further,  upon insured's death, any remaining funds in said account shall pass through his estate.
The cost of each individual's catastrophic plan shall be determined by his/her personal risk factors such as disproportionate body mass index, substance abuse, criminal record, participation in high risk behavior, etc.and adjusted annually.
Any premium amount attributable to personal high risk behavior shall be the sole responsibility of the individual and not the employer; unless such risk is job related or the employer waves the exemption.
Thus the individual will now have a financial incentive to engage in a healthier lifestyle and be more fiscally responsible in the procurement of care.
The patient will have no restrictions as to what MD he chooses to see.
He will also be motivated to shop his care and actively inquire as to the need/cost/quality of services and durable goods provided.
In essence the responsible segment of society will be self insured, his choices will be greater and his costs will be less.  
Insurance fraud committed by any provider, insured or carrier will have severe civil and criminal penalties imposed.
The government will provide indigent care facilities for those individuals too poor or unwilling (self employed or retired non-indigents) to buy into the private plan.
The government plan will:
1. provide basic health care based on ability to pay.
2. be immune from all acts of ordinary negligence
3. be staffed by residents who must complete a two (2) year rotation at an indigent care center with minimal compensation before being eligible for licensure in private practice AND be supervised by board certified attending physicians.
4. only provide generic medication unless brand name is deemed medically necessary
5. require that all non emergency patients who present to an ER be triaged by indigent care providers assigned to that facility
6. prohibit paramedics and other emergency response providers to transport non emergency indigent patients free of charge. Public transportation will, however, be provided as deemed appropriate.
7. prohibit coverage of chronic life support, organ transplants and other extraordinary measures that are a result of poor behavioral decisions; ignorance will not be an excuse for bad behavior.
However, nothing will preclude any person from independently paying for non covered  health care of himself or another so long as it is not illegal.

The FDA will be more cost effective in permitting products to market while continuing to provide for reasonable consumer safety.  Common sense will replace a warranty mind set.

BUT instead, Obama and his Congressional whores are setting up a government co-op for the delivery of medical care that will make the aforementioned Indigent Plan look like a Cadillac.
Long lines, rationed care, and third world caregivers from Pakistan will be the benchmark for every American except the liberal elite Politburo.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent post. However, the idea of an indigent jewelry-wearing, diamond-toothed, cadillac-driving, expensive-weapon-toting gangster being treated for a crime-related incident at taxpayer expense is very irksome. Worst case scenario, impound the weapon, vehicle and the jewelry to recoup at least a portion of the cost to the taxpayer. Also, it would be nice to see our military men and women having better healthcare facilities to get their issues addressed. However, all the best ideas for healthcare reform can be suggested until we're blue in the face. But we're up against a Congress who won't even include themselves in the type of plan that they're going to try to force on the rest of us. A part of the plan most definitely needs to include that everyone has to play under the same rules nationwide.

Anonymous said...

anon 7:07,
Well maybe if we built more prisons we wouldn't have to worry about your uninsured gang bangers clogging up the ERs.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:40,

If I had my way, they wouldn't even be getting treated. Any time spent saving a thug's life is wasted time.

Anon 7:07

Aggie Pct Chair said...

The United States needs to take a hard line stance against immigration. It is the immigrants that drain our health care system.