Resolution for Health Care Reform

Only one or two pages are required to reform health care:

I. ALLOW INSURANCE COMPANIES TO SELL ACROSS STATE LINES

A. Purchasers will seek out the best insurance companies with the best coverage.

B. Insurance companies will have to lower their prices to be competitive in markets that have more insurance companies competing for their customers.

II. DO NOT ALLOW THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO “DROP” A PAYING CUSTOMER FOR ANY REASON

A. Preexisting conditions;

B. Reaching annual or lifetime dollar limits;

C. Renewals are “automatic” if customer’s payments have been timely;

D. Moving to another state;

E. Etc.

III. DO NOT ALLOW INSURANCE COMPANIES TO DISALLOW TREATMENT THAT IS RECOMMENDED BY THE PATIENT’S DOCTOR

A. The doctor determines the treatment, not the insurance company.

B. The importance of the doctor – patient relationship is established.

IV. GIVE TAX RELIEF TO THOSE THAT PURCHASE THEIR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE AND TAX THE BENEFIT THAT OTHERS RECEIVE AT WORK.

A. A line item in the calculation of gross income giving a deduction of fifty percent for those individuals that paid for their own health insurance.

B. The same line item in the calculation of gross income would recognize fifty percent of the value of the portion of health insurance paid for by the employer with no exceptions.

V. TORT REFORM

A. Limit the amount of the awards for malpractice;

B. Eliminate the necessity for unnecessary tests.

VI. RESPONSIBLE LEGISLATION

A. Medicare is currently prevented from negotiating the price it will pay to the sellers of the drugs that are purchased for Medicare patients. Direct Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate with all of its vendors for the best price for all of the drugs and products that they buy.

B. Require that the members of congress and all employees of the federal government be covered by the same insurance policies that are available to the citizens of the United States.

C. Create a consumer-directed health insurance option, or Health Savings Account (HSA), to the conventional plans available to all employees and federal and state workers.

D. Have competitive bidding between the private health plans for Medicare that enroll Medicare beneficiaries—known as Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

E. (I’m sure there are more items that should be listed here.)

VII. SAFEGUARDS

A. Established enforcement and use E-Verify to insure that illegal immigrants will not benefit from any government subsidized health insurance.

B. Established enforcement and use E-Verify to insure that illegal immigrants will not benefit from any type of health car

C. Use E-Verify for individuals applying for low income subsidies or those enrolling in Medicaid or Medicare.

D. Send quarterly reports to Medicare members who have been reported receiving benefits by Medicare providers so that they may report fraud when their identity has been misused by a provider.

E. Require that states, before they may participate in Medicaid, must have in effect a law that meets the following requirements:

1. Establish liability to the State for false or fraudulent claims described in the False Claims Act (FCA) with respect to any expenditures related to State Medicaid plans;

2. Contain provisions that are at least as effective in rewarding and facilitating qui tam actions for false or fraudulent claims as those described in the FCA;

3. Contain a requirement for filing an action under seal for 60 days with review by the State Attorney General;Contain a civil penalty that is not less than the amount of the civil penalty authorized under the FCA.

F. Improve policy and procedures to prevent the theft of Medical identity (like one’s name, Social Security number, and Medicare or Medicaid numbers) to obtain medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake billings to Medicare or Medicaid.

G. (I’m sure there are more items that should be listed here.)

Two thousand more pages are required for the nationalization of health insurance.

Resolution for Health Care Reform

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