In or Out in 2010

After listening to all the drivel about the 2000+ pages of health care reform and the relative simplicity of a document like our Constitution, I decided to take a shot at a simple, but effective reform proposal of my own.  Let me know what you think!

Health Care Reform – a common sense proposal

1. First, assure that all Americans can afford an individual catastrophic health care plan, typically an HSA type plan to prevent families from being wiped out by truly catastrophic health issues. Make all premiums tax deductible. Provide tax credits to offset premiums paid that exceed 5% of their gross annual income.

2. Second allow all Americans the liberty to choose to obtain or reject acquiring health care. This who reject health care should be prepared to live AND DIE with the health and financial consequences of their decisions.

3. TAX all those who choose to reject health care at 5% of their gross income to provide funds to reimburse hospitals for the costs of treating the indigent and the uninsured.

4. Require doctors to publish fees for all services and to disclose these fees to patients at or before time of service.

5. Doctors should present alternate care options that are more economical in addition to the most advanced and recent treatments.

6. Require doctors to provide care to the UNINSURED at the lowest of all the published usual and customary fee schedules from the insurance plans they accept. Require insurers to pay doctors based on the procedure, directly from their companies published fee schedules WITHOUT forcing doctors to price and file each service ABOVE all of the insurers maximum plan reimbursements in order to seek the maximum reimbursement from each procedure filed.

7. Require insurers to accept all applicants who have been fully covered by an existing insurance plan for at least 1 year prior without regard for pre-existing conditions. Require acceptance of all uninsured individuals with a 100% exclusion on treatments for the pre-existing conditions for the first year, and a 50% EXCLUSION FOR the second year. In the third year, the individual would be fully covered.

8. Insurers should offer discounts for multi-year plans of 3, 5, 10 and 20 years, similar to the way term life insurance is sold today.

9. Allow for inter-state insurance shopping, allowing individuals to seek plans and coverage from ANY insurance company in the United States without regard for state of residence.

10. Tort reform to limit monetary damages and require two practicing doctors to publicly review and endorse any suit claiming harm to a patient. Consequences of the defendant losing the suit will include penalties up to losing their license to practice medicine in the United States.

Enumerated benefits

1. Capping exposure to catastrophic financial consequences from serious health issues.

2. Reinforce personal responsibility in decisions impacting the individual.

3. Reinforce personal responsibility in decisions impacting others through personal irresponsibility.

4. Release market forces in informing the patient of the actual cost of services and facilitate comparison shopping for services.

5. Keep the patient informed about the true cost and benefits of the treatments they receive.

6. Provide the UNINSURED the best available price. Stop doctors from over-billing to maximize insurance reimbursement, leaving the UNINSURED with the insane fees and no protection.

7. Allow those currently outside the system to begin to contribute to and benefit from health insurance.

8. Provide incentives for people to stay with an insurer and limit an insurers ability to systematically raise rates year over year.

9. Release market forces among insurance companies, eliminating protectionist laws in some states which keep prices high and limiting access to heath care. This facilitates comparison shopping for coverage.

10. Stop forcing doctors to practice defensive medicine and provide doctors with the protection of peer review, while stiffening the consequences of significant mistakes.

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