I thought this plan to provide health insurance to all Americans was noteworthy, as it is supported by both Republicans and Democrats, and business. And, according to a preliminary report by the Congresional Budget Office, it would be budget neutral by 2014, or self funding, and after that possibly create a surplus. I found this proposal interesting and hopeful, I don't necessarily support it, as I am still reading and learning about providing affordable health care, I simply provide it for those interested in info about the various propoosals being talked about. For those not in favor of a plan for universal coverage, but support a health care system based on the free market, I invite you to post on that subject, so the readers here can see all approaches being considered to fixing our health care system.
Capitol Hill Watch | Healthy Americans Act Could Be Budget-Neutral by 2014 When Fully Implemented, According to CBO Report
[May 02, 2008]
Legislation (S 334) proposed by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Robert Bennett (R-Utah) that would establish a universal health care system in the U.S. could be budget-neutral by 2014 and generate budget surpluses in future years, according to a Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation analysis released on Thursday, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The legislation, called the Healthy Americans Act, would effectively eliminate the employer-sponsored health care system and replace it with a system in which individuals would purchase private health coverage through state-run purchasing pools (Daly, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/1). All residents would be required to obtain coverage (Canham, Salt Lake Tribune, 5/2). The federal government would subsidize coverage for residents with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level (AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/1). Employers initially would shift funds currently used to pay for coverage to employee wages, and, over time, employers would have to pay the federal government a health insurance contribution (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/6).
According to the analysis, after 2014 when the plan is fully implemented, changes to the tax code related to health insurance and other provisions would generate surpluses. For example, the new deduction for health insurance would grow at the rate of general price inflation, more slowly than the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored insurance. In addition, the minimum value of insurance benefits would be tied to the increase of the gross domestic product. According to the analysis, the government would spend .3 trillion to .4 trillion in health insurance premiums annually, but the cost would be "approximately offset" by new revenues and savings, premiums from taxpayers, employer payments, tax changes, savings from folding Medicaid and SCHIP into the new system, and state payments to the new system (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/1).
For rest of article see:
For letter analyzing the proposal from Congressional Budget Ofc to Sen Wyden and Bennett see:
Somehow I doubt this will ever be implemented.
[QUOTE=mab52] Somehow I doubt this will ever be implemented. [/QUOTE]
Why? Because they do stuff like add in things in the middle of the night like with the Medicare package.
Please, this sounds so promising, please keep an eye on this for us. In the black by 2014. Nobody could complain about that.
Pip
[QUOTE=Pip!]Because they do stuff like add in things in the middle of the night like with the Medicare package.
Pip
[/QUOTE]
"They" were the highly paid drug lobbyists and the sponsor of the bill, Republican Congressman Bill Tauzin of Louisiana, who did a lot of devious and unethical things to get this bill passed that provided a windfall for drug companies. The GOP deliberately misrepresented and covered up the true cost of the Medicare Prescription Drug Act prior to Congress voting. Medicare's chief Actuary Richard Foster was threatened with his job in June 2003 if he told Congress the true cost of the plan. (New York Times, March 14,2004) Fiscal conservatives would not have voted for the bill had they known the truth, the bill narrowly passed.
The sponsor of the bill, Bill Tauzin, stepped down as chairman of the House committee that regulates the pharmaceutical industry to become the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the drug industry's top lobbying group. Tauzin's new million pay package makes him one of the highest paid lobbyists in Washington.
So mab, you may be right, any significant health care proposal could easily be blocked by the powerful and influential lobbying interests of drug companies, insurance companies, and we Americans, will pay higher and higher insurance premiums and more for our drugs and health care, and in some cases simply do without. But alas, what can we do?
edited for spelling
Joie2008-05-16 10:34:07
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com