Liberty MavenI may be able to support health care reform if…
March 15th, 2010 11:20 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Big Government, Commentary, congress, Health Care, Individual Responsibility, Liberty, Maven Commentary | 3 Responses
I may be able to get behind this Democratic health care over-reach plan if they adopt an “If we are wrong we pay” approach to it.
In other words, if every lawmaker who votes for health reform agrees to personally pay for everyone else’s health care for any amount health care costs rise above the CBO estimates in the future I could support it.
This would include their “estate” continuing to pay after they die, perhaps from sub-standard government-run health care. If Obama and company really honestly believe that their plan would reduce costs why would they not stand behind that belief?
Oh, that’s right, they aren’t very big supporters of personal responsibility are they?
Blame-shifting is an art in DC, and our representatives are master artists.
Nevermind. Once health costs sky rocket under this plan, they would likely just raise their own salaries enough to cover the costs, thereby sticking it to the taxpayers anyway.
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March 15th, 2010 at 11:38 pm (#)
Ben Franklin Health Care Compromise
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells how Dr. Thomas Bond approached him to ask his assistance in raising money to build a hospital in Philadelphia, the first in America. Franklin, then a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, sought financial assistance from the Assembly. He drafted a bill with a contingency such that when the supporters raised 2000 pounds through private subscription that the Assembly would then pay 2000 pounds, in effect a 50/50 matching grant. Naysayers thought that they would never raise enough by private contributions but they did and the hospital was built.
Here may be a solution here to at least the financial element of the current health care legislation debate- calculate the annual cost, raise support by voluntary contributions, and when half the money is raised fund the rest. The cost to taxpayers would be much less and support for the programs would be clearly demonstrated.
The current problem is more complicated than this but with respect to funding this approach might be a good compromise and a fitting tribute to a great conciliator and the founders of America’s first hospital.
March 16th, 2010 at 2:12 am (#)
Let's think about it. People are paying premiums of more than $12,000 for family coverage. We are spending more than 16% of the GDP for Health Care. We are paying for people without insurance when we pay hospital and ER visits. Having the freeloaders pay for insurance will help those of us paying for our own health insurance. We have ignorant older folks insisting that government keep its hands off their Medicare. We have the world's highest drug prices and we rank 38th in the world in health status while paying the most per capita of any nation in the world. The VA is a government program that provides the best outcomes of any health care organization in America. Somehow we prefer to pay premiums instead of taxes, keep insurance CEO's wealthy and have new doctors so deep in debt that they decide to go for higher pay in specialty care rather than work in primary care? So why does anyone think we need health reform?
March 16th, 2010 at 2:12 am (#)
Let's think about it. People are paying premiums of more than $12,000 for family coverage. We are spending more than 16% of the GDP for Health Care. We are paying for people without insurance when we pay hospital and ER visits. Having the freeloaders pay for insurance will help those of us paying for our own health insurance. We have ignorant older folks insisting that government keep its hands off their Medicare. We have the world's highest drug prices and we rank 38th in the world in health status while paying the most per capita of any nation in the world. The VA is a government program that provides the best outcomes of any health care organization in America. Somehow we prefer to pay premiums instead of taxes, keep insurance CEO's wealthy and have new doctors so deep in debt that they decide to go for higher pay in specialty care rather than work in primary care? So why does anyone think we need health reform?