If You're so Smart, What Would You Propose for Health Reform?

Yesterday, I talked about 60 votes in the Senate being the most important criteria for the 2000+ pages of health care reform.

Someone just asked me how I would tackle it?

Here is my 2 paragraph starting point:

1) All US citizens and legal residents are automatically enrolled in the Medicaid program and will pay a fee equal to 5% of adjusted gross income, unless exempt by paragraph #2.

2) Persons having proof of health insurance or who have sufficient assets not to need health insurance are exempt from the requirements of paragraph #1.

The above can be tweaked, amended and improved, and it should not take more than 50 pages. Perhaps the premium charge is 4% or 7%, the number is irrelevant. Two paragraphs is about concept not specifics.

Providers would be free not to accept Medicaid patients and insurance companies would compete on that basis.

I am not proposing the above as a solution for healthcare, but, if you're really serious about solving the health insurance mess, then my suggestiosn would be a starting point and we work from there.

My analysis of the political parties involved, is that the Republicans are trying to defend an indefensible system, while the Democrats are trying to manage an unmanageable system.

Alan.
Alan@birthconference.org