HEALTH CARE

On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes -- government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. President Obama and Vice President Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference.

The Obama-Biden plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors, and plans. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.

Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year. If you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options.

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.
  Insurance companies should provide "experience based" rates. Offerings should be tailored to the needs and desires of the customers. Government has no right to force a company or an individual to do anything.
• Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees.
The people should have the ability to choose whatever healthcare options they like without having to be forced into an employer plan. Similarly, businesses should not be burdened with the costs of providing "all encompassing" health insurance. Rather than providing a tax credit for business to provide health insurance, the tax code should be changed to provide the tax credit for the individual to purchase the health care which is right for him.
• Lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees.
The people should have the ability to choose whatever healthcare options they like without having to be forced into an employer plan. Similarly, businesses should not be burdened with the costs of providing "all encompassing" health insurance. Rather than providing a tax credit for business to provide health insurance, the tax code should be changed to provide the tax credit for the individual to purchase the health care which is right for him.
• Prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors.
No where in the "agenda" is there mention of the REAL reasons for high healthcare costs... Litigation. Unscrupulous lawyers and greedy individuals who "hold up" the medical profession by suing for unwarranted reasons make the premiums rise beyond belief. Most of the medical community practice "legal medicine" (ordering unnecessary tests; calling for expensive consultations, etc. ) to protect themselves from the possibility of being sued. If the litigation were to be curtailed by instituting "loser pays court costs", eliminating contingency fees for lawyers, and others, the cost of malpractice insurance would drastically reduce and the total cost of healthcare would abate due to the reduction in duplicative and unnecessary procedures.
• 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.
EXCUSE ME!   More Fair?  There is nothing fair about taking money from a company because it is successful. If you really want fair, then level the playing field entirely by putting the onus for securing and paying for healthcare on the individual. Remove any tax incentive from the corporation and give the incentive to the individual taxpayer. It is preposerous to use the word "fair" in this context.
• 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.
What kind of nonsense is this? What does an Insurance Exchange do? We don't need public plans and we certainly don't need the government making mandates.
• Ensure everyone who needs it will receive a tax credit for their premiums.
And what is fair about giving "everyone who needs it" a tax credit? If you want to give a tax credit, then give it accross the board to everyone who pays the premiums.

Reduce Costs and Save a Typical American Family up to $2,500 as reforms phase in:

• Lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs, and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market.
This is most assinine of all the proposals so far! Where do you think the drugs are developed?... in Tanzania? No, most drugs are developed in the United States. It is the U.S. that has the highest standards of drug quality in manufacturing and distribution. It is in the U.S. that new drugs are developed and tested via a grueling testing phase. For each drug approved by the FDA, several hundred millions of dollars have been spent in failed drugs and testing procedures. Drug companies have a right to be recompensed for their research and development. If they don't, there will be no incentive to develop new cures for diseases.

If you want to reduce the price of drugs in this country, start by working with the companies to assist them in their development of drugs. Make the testing procedures less combative between the FDA and the drug company. Amend liability laws regarding the drugs which have been approved by the FDA. Limit the Litigation Lotto for deep pockets among trial lawyers. In short, regulate but don't suffocate these companies.

• Require hospitals to collect and report health care cost and quality data.
News Flash! -- they already do!
• Reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees.
Now here, there is room for compromise. No one can adequately cover "catastrophic" illnesses. Although, government has no business in this arena either. Just as Personal Liability insurance costs the individual a few extra dollars, so also would a "catastrophic illness insurance policy cost the individual a few extra dollars. These policies kick in after a hefty deductible which would be covered by the primary health insurance policy. And, the market place could be encouraged to develop these policies by the request of the individuals.
• Reform the insurance market to increase competition by taking on anticompetitive activity that drives up prices without improving quality of care.
First place to start is to allow insurance companies headquartered out of state to market their health insurance in any of the states. Next, allow the companies to create "needs based" products and to charge premiums on an "experience based" profile. Last, but not least, get government out of the way.

The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

A Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility: Barack Obama will pay for his $50 - $65 billion health care reform effort by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans earning more than $250,000 per year and retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level