The House Republican Health Care Reform PlanMike Rappaport

It is based on four principles:

• Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.
• Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.
• Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs.
• Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it's good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.

Sounds pretty good to me, and absolutely perfect as compared to the Democratic plans.

Comments

[athena]

thanks for posting this

[jimbino]

It misses several important principles:

1. Force all healthcare providers to standardize prices for all drugs and all procedures and to publish them on the web, just as Sears and Walmart do.
2. Tax healthcare benefits.
3. Elimate government certification of all drugs, devices and procedures and kill healthcare provider licensing, as Milton Friedman long ago recommended.
4. Encourage patients to seek treatment in other countries, like Mexico, Thailand and Brazil, where it may be much cheaper.

[obagi]

Good addition to the first four principles Jimbino. And I 100% agree with ending the junk lawsuits.

[Joe Gator]

How about eliminating all the mandates as well?

[Lou Gots]

I don't want my doctor to order tests because he's afraid of getting sued, I want him to order tests because he's afraid of having me die on him when it could nave been prevented. If it takes having him be afraid of getting sued to do it, I can live with that.

[chris]

And who exactly will individuals pool with to purchase insurance at a discount?

[Greg Saybolt]

Individuals don't need to pool for auto insurance, and there are many discounted firms out there.

[WP]

At first we will have plenty of competition. But it will only be a few years before the biggest insurance companies start merge across state lines buying up smaller competitors. The competition pool will shrink and the companies will be large enough at that point to easily deny coverage, raise rates, change plans, and leave you hanging. After all, they have the one thing on their side you don't when you need insurance the most, "time". Fortunately (for the insurance companies), they will have taken care of any lawsuits on your behalf as well. Thanks, Repubs!

[Mark]

If people had to pay some kind of co-pay like 20% for each test, then they wouldn't be demanding every possible test when most of them don't do much good. Free unlimited healthcare is what is costing so much.

[Johnny]

So many tests are done for the following reason: Hospitals and doctros have to complete with one antoehr; in order to attract patients they need to have the newest equipment, tests, and all that stuff; once the providers buy (more likely lease) those fancy machines, tests, etc., they need to pay for them; the best to pay for the machines and latest tests and stay competitive is to make sure that as many patients as possible are getting them. I dont think it has to do with lawsuits, I think it has to do with justifying expenses.