Healthcare reform blog by Cliff Grekin

Healthcare reform needs to accomplish 4 goals

1. Give universal healthcare coverage to everyone in the U.S.
2. Reduce the cost of healthcare to businesses and government agency's
3. No freeloaders on the system, everyone has to pay into the system
4. Keep freedom of choice for all members

My solution is simple:

The medicare Part A hospitilization benefit becomes universal to everyone in the U.S..  This will be paid for by a sales tax on all goods and services.  The sales tax breakdown will have to be decided on by the politiicians.  I see it as a 1 or 2% tax on all goods and services and a higher tax rate on vice items that are bad for your health and luxury items.
This system will have many advantages.

1.  Everyone will be covered immediately for hospitalization.
2.  Everyone will be paying toward the cost through sales taxes
3.  Major medical ( doctor visits, tests, etc.. )  will remain private with the insurance companies.  Your current doctors will continue to be your doctors.
4.  Prescription benefit will remain private with the insurance companies.  You continue to get prescriptions at your pharmacy.
5.  Everyone who has private coverage will be able to keep the same insurance through your employer or privately.
6.  The cost of all health insurance will decrease immediately by about 35%
7.  Goods and services will decrease in price, since businesses will be getting a major reduction in their health insurance costs.
8. Businesses will be able to hire more workers since their health insurance cost will be much less expensive.
9.  All systems are currently in place for an immediate change to this system.
10. Government agencys struggling to stay solvent will have a large decrease in their health insurance costs.
11. Medicare beneficiaries will have an increase in their social security checks, since the part A medicare costs will now be paid for through sales taxes.

I see many advantages to this plan.  There are probably even more that I'm not seeing yet. 

Now of course in addition to this simple solution.  We still need to implement reforms seperately on items like:

1. The cost of prescription drugs, that needs to have price controls like every other country.
2. Tort reform on malpractice
3. End of life care treatment.

But these issues seem to be much more complicated and politically difficult to implement.

So this is my solution, let me know what you think.

Cliff Grekin