I listened to Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell this morning (1/24/10)on Meet the Press and first I have to compliment David Gregory for making Senator McConnell stay on track. When asked for the top three items for Republicans on health care reform and his list included the following four: 1) Put the CSPAN cameras in the room; 2) Junk lawsuits for doctors and hospitals (translation tort reform); 3) interstate competition among insurance companies; and 4) Equalize the tax code so that insurance is tax deductible for individuals just as it is for corporations.
Meanwhile the Democrats talk about: 5) universal coverage (i.e. strategies such as a public option, Medicare buy-in, and an insurance coop); and 6) coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. Listening to independent voters I would suggest they would add 7) no changes to benefits or cost for exiting Medicare recipients and 8) no death panels.
So here’s a brief discussion of the Partisan lists:
1) Transparency with television cameras in the room during negotiations
2) Tort reform. This argument was made when then Senators Obama and Clinton tried to pass mandatory reporting of medical errors (the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S.). The Repubs and the health care industry fought back saying they would only support the mandatory reporting with a $250K cap on malpractice lawsuits. I say give it to them. Pair tort reform/paired with mandatory health care reporting (for health care givers and institutions to a transparent registry that the public can access. That will serve to police the health care industry, increase our ability to choose higher quality health care providers and drive down the costs and save lives by improving the quality of health care.
3) Interstate competition among insurance companies…why not? Increase the pool, improve the cost
4) Tax deductions for individuals…again, why not? Dems might be afraid it will justify corporations throwing their employees under the train, but they are doing that anyway. I live in Nevada where there is talk about gutting the health care benefits for state employees. As a college professor in a state college, this would cost me a lot.
5) Universal coverage: I’m an advocate of the public option, but I have accepted the fact that Congress doesn’t have the balls to pass it. The coops have not yet been tested; there have been no objective third party studies to determine if they are an effective method. I think the solution is the 55 year old buy in to Medicare with emphasis on buy-in. They pay their way so there is an infusion of case from younger recipients paying into the system. Perhaps we can cap it for people making less than $25,000 so it’s not a huge magnet for everyone who could afford an alternative private policy. Plus it will be a money maker because of the infusion of cash from the younger recipients who are paying into the system.
6) Coverage for people with preexisting conditions: I understand even the insurance industry has now come to table on this one…done
7) No change in benefits or costs for those already covered by Medicare; let’s cap this at folks making $250K so the rich don’t get a free ride here.
To sum, here below is a list that would fix Health Care as a BIPARTISAN solution:
1. Transparent and televised coverage of negotiations
2. Tort Reform (cap to $250K per malpractice lawsuit) PAIRED with mandatory reporting of medical errors for health care providers and institutions to a publicly accessible registry.
3. Interstate competition among insurance companies
4. Equalize tax code: allow individuals to deduct insurance premiums like corporations do
5. Medicare buy-in for 55 year olds making less than $25K
6. Coverage for those with preexisting conditions.
7. No increases in cost or reduction of coverage to existing Medicare beneficiaries making less than $200K.
I urge President Obama to give the Republicans, Democrats and Independents what they want, put it on TV and see what happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment