Posted At AJC.com
BY : Brian Cosgrove
One of the most important issues facing this country is the cost of health care. Nothing will be done in Congress as the Democrats want to socialize health care and adopt a plan similar to Canada, where all health care providers become government employees. The Republicans on the other end of the spectrum are content to adopt Band-Aid fixes while hoping time will provide some solutions.
None of this should be acceptable to the American people.The American people should design the system and force Congress to adopt it through the election process. If senators and representatives don't support it, they should be voted out of office.
I want to suggest a broad outline for a national health care plan that I think will work very well for all Americans. My objective is not to radically change the structure of professional medical people and facilities. Our doctors, nurses, hospitals and the technical people who support them do a wonderful job. They will continue to be in private practice and their jobs will not be socialized, as the Democratic Party tried to do some 10 years ago.
My proposed plan will consist of two parts.
Part 1 will be similar to the existing part A of Medicare, and structured to provide only hospital and emergency hospital services. This part of the health care plan will be financed by the federal government, with revenues derived through the existing payroll tax system.
The plan will continue to be administered by Medicare. However, it would provide hospital services to all citizens. Doctors' office visits and all medical services not associated with a hospitalization would not be included.
Those would be covered by Part 2, which would be under the jurisdiction of the states and financed through an appropriate sales tax. As all people will benefit, all people should contribute. Medicaid and all other state health plans should be eliminated by gradually rolling them into Part 2.
Citizens would be able to choose from a variety of Part 2 plans. They could receive only minimal coverage or pay for higher additional coverage, such as prescription drugs and maternity benefits. These additional benefits should be made available through employer group plans and individual policies, similar to the existing Medicare supplemental policies.
There are two very important aspects of this overall plan. Businesses will be relieved of the onerous financial burden of providing health benefits to their employees. They can continue to provide health benefits, but this will be limited to the add-ons, which supplement the minimal coverage.
Businesses can also provide disability, dental and life insurance if they choose. But they will be relieved of the heavy expense they now bear.
Every business I know wants out of the responsibility of providing health insurance to its employees. Relieving business of this burden will have tremendous economic benefits for the country as a large percentage of the money going into health benefit expenses can be put back into the business.
The state sales tax, which will finance part 2 of the plan, should apply on all goods and services with few exceptions. One exception would be all products and services related to the provisioning of health services.
Laws should be enacted requiring all doctors, hospitals, labs and other health care professionals to participate in the plans. If you practice medicine in the state, you must accept the state plan.
As is the case with Medicare today, all reimbursement amounts by both state and federal parts of the plans must be accepted by the provider as full payment for the services provided. It is time to provide protection to all citizens from losing everything they have worked hard to acquire simply because they come down with a serious illness.
Brian Cosgrove of Dunwoody is a retired health insurance salesman.
