Hillary Clinton started a push for universal healthcare during her husband’s first term in office. It failed tragically. After 8 years of a Republican in the White House, Obama took his turn and got a bill passed. Here is what Obama screwed up and what Republicans are too blind to understand:
1. We need universal healthcare. The cost of caring for the uninsured is being borne by those who do pay for healthcare.
2. We need to get rid of pre-existing conditions. The actuaries that rule the payment tables can easy account for these types of situations. It is critical that everyone is afforded insurance.
3. Everyone does not need nor want healthcare. This is true, but everyone should be required to have catastrophic and preventative insurance. Annual check-ups and insurance for unforeseen incidents. This type of healthcare could be covered under Medicare with little to no additional overhead. It is paid for out of FICA funds or on self employed individuals year end tax return.
4. Healthcare exchanges are good only if they improve competition and are privately run. The government is not efficient at running anything. To think they can run an effective exchange is poor logic. Federal law can outline the requirements and then let the markets get to work. The only way it will really work is to help breakdown barriers, particularly State restrictions and populations. We need national exchanges that States opt into participating in. That will increase competition and drive down rates. State exchanges means the same old closed markets.
5. Limits must be placed on malpractice claims. In the workplace, if an employee believes that they have been discriminated against, they file a claim with the EEOC. If the claim has merit, then it goes to court. In the medical world, we just sue. Jury trials award millions, lawyers take a third and our Court and medicals costs skyrocket. We need limits just like the Feds have set up with regards to Worker’s Compensation. We need to have defined amounts that account for loss of function, loss wages (current and future) and emotional distress. These figures should be determined by logic, not the emotion of a courtroom.
6. Young, healthy Americans are doing little to complain about Obamacare requirements to purchase insurance. Repeatedly the Obama administration has stressed that if healthy people do not join their pool, they cannot make the math work. As stated in #3, they do not need and most likely do not want health care. Having them purchase catastrophic care protects insurance paying consumers right now and allows them the freedom to choose. Get angry, healthy people. You are getting taken advantage of…
7. Subsidies suck. We cannot continue to subsidize everything we do in this country. We also have to stop over-regulating everything. If we would curtail malpractice awards, require catastrophic coverage and remove barriers to insurance coverage, the market will make up for difference. Minimum oversight and capital markets. That is what Washington cannot figure out…