My Health Care Plan

Ok, this is my 200th blog. Yay!

Anyway, today at work, a moderately liberal coworker of mine told me that I had an ingenious plan for health care. I've been listening to the back and forth that has been going on lately, and basically wondering why the government is making it so hard? (I know why they are making it so hard...they are the government, that's what they do)

If it truly is about lowering the costs and ensuring health care for all, here's what they should do (Note: I'm not advocating federal funding of health care, but if I were going to do it, here's what I'd do)

First, I would scrap Medicaid/Medicare...they are broke and broken.

Second, I would institute a "catastrophic coverage" plan that all Americans are on if they do not have health insurance. This plan would pay for 1 wellness visit per year, and would have a high out of pocket maximum based on income, say $4,000 for a family making $80,000 per year. The family pays everything, other than their wellness check, up to $4,000. After that, the government picks up the bill.

This plan would have the following effects:

1. Most companies would eliminate their health care plans, putting all Americans on the Federal Plan, unless they purchase their own. This is good for our corporations, because it lets them get a huge expense off their books.
2. Americans would have the freedom to see who they want, when they want, and have the care they want.
3. Doctors fees will go down because they will no longer have to employ staff just to understand different insurance policies.
4. Americans will demand lower prices from their doctors when they have to actually pay the bills themselves.

Lower costs, freedom to get the care you need, less bureaucracy...it's a win/win situation. Also, my plan would results in a bill that is less than 20 pages long, so memebers of Congress might actually read it. Finally, I'm able to articulate specifics about my plan, which is something President Obama has yet to do.