President Obama lists his health care reform plans on the White House website. The major points of this plan follow:
Make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses -- Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.
•Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans regardless of their health status or history can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums.
•Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees.
•Lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees.
•Prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors.
•Make employer contributions more fair by requiring large employers that do not offer coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of their employees' health care.
•Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage.
The last item - "Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage." Should cause all of us some concern.
Although I agree with Obama's overall plan - creating a public plan "based on benefits available to members of congress" is setting up a separate but equal health insurance system.
If a person chooses to participate in the public plan - that person should have access to the VERY SAME plan as members of congress and all federal employees have.
"Separate but equal" public plans, one for federal employees and one for the rest of America will mean trouble down the road. As congress changes and enhances their own plan - the other public plan (for the rest of us) will be left behind.
I strongly feel that any new - optional - public plan should be the exact SAME plan our congress uses. American citizens should be able to buy into the existing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program website states that federal employees have ""the widest selection of health plans in the country". If American citizens decide to participate in the new public plan - they should be able to buy from the same pool of plans that federal employees buy from. This would ensure that as the congress changes and negotiates better benefits for itself - the rest of America will benefit as well.
truthistrue8
And by what authority can he make the health insurance companies to anything? They are private businesses.
Bill G
You aren't a member of Congress
If you want their health care plan then run for office
Rocco
i don't get it...
Jade
Sounds fair to me! It's no secret that something needs to be done with our health care system, but no one seems to be able to fix it. Prescription Drugs are way too expensive as well. I think it's possible that there's too many middle-men.
Captain Starkiller
The current system is not working as it is.
FACT - the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.
FACT - the US has higher death rates for kids aged under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.
That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.
Orignal From: Q&A: Separate But Equal Health Insurance Will Not Work?
Post a Comment