Keep it Simple "Public Option" and everyone Wins!!!
I believe I have an idea that will make folks happy. People that do not have health care can select the public option. They are not requir ...more »
I believe I have an idea that will make folks happy.
People that do not have health care can select the public option. They are not required to have health care insurance, but if they go to a doctor's office or the emergency room or emergent care centers, or they just want to get a physical then they can enroll at point of service at the health providers for the public option for calendar year 2012 only. Whatever health care insurance the municipality, county, or state government employees has for the location is the "public option". This option is only available if the individual does not have health care coverage. The individual can request the "public option" health care coverage and pay the co-pay of the public option if it is for health maintenance or emergent health needs. If it is elective health care, then the individual pays whatever the cost is for that procedure under the health care coverage for the maunicipality, county, or state government employees. That is the public option and he/she is enrolled in the public option with his/her social security number along with any qualifying dependents.
The healthcare provider sends the invoice for the health care service to the IRS for payment, minus the deductible.
Individuals that do not have health care coverage, but would like health care coverage can sign up when they pay their taxes in 2011 for 2012. The cost of the "public option" is 2% of their entire income (earned, investment, interest earned, whatever the nature of income). If they elect the public option on there tax returns, then the 2% will be automatically deducted from their tax refund, if they get one, or to the amount of tax owed if they have to pay. The 2% for the public option comes out before any tax liens are taken out for back taxes, education loans, etc.
I know if will be a difficult for the IRS, who will probably shift it to CMS for administration, to get all the deductibles and payments to providers straight. But the municipal, county, or state government should be willing to help.
What are the advantages:
There is no primary care provider, so using the "public option" actually provides those who elect the "public option" greater freedom.
The remimbursement to providers is not mandated by government, the providers have agreed to these amounts with the Health Insurance Company through a free market.
The Health Insurance Company that negotiated these costs may no longer be seen as greedy and uncaring, in fact, they may be seen as heros by users of the "public option" because it is through their business savy that the "public option" provides costs derived from a free market.
The abortion issue goes away because the "public option" does not require the Federal government to negotiate what procedures are covered and which are not, the municipality, county, or state has already determined that when it entered into the health care coverage agreement for the municipal, county or state employees and the states insurance requirments should have already been resolved as these insurance carriers are licensed by the state.
That is another big plus, the state keeps its power to regulate insurance and keep its rules for precentages held back for a catastrophic event or for possibles claims to the insurance carrier because the insurance carrier does not have to reimburse the "public option" user, the Federal Government does that.
Other benefits:
The Federal Government can get out of the business of regulation reimbursement costs for Medicaid and Medicare. Those who use Medicaid and Medicare are shifted to the "public option" and for those that cover the co-pay, then the providers bill the co-pays to the Federal Government.
This frees the State governments from having to manage medicaid. All the municipal, county, or state governments need to do is negotiate the best possible reimbursement costs with their insurers.
Another big bonus is that those lucky few who do not want health insurance because they "take care of their own needs" or have never been to a doctor or never plan to go to a doctor or don't believe that they will ever need a doctor, are not penalized by their right to refuse health insurance. But, should they not have insurance, and they have not signed up for the "public option" through their tax returns or did not go to a health care provider in 2012, then the providers are mandated to charge the uninsured the cost (co-pay and health plan reimbursed amount) that the municipality, county, or state government has negotiated for their employees. So everyone wins and everyone gets what they want, or what their business savy allows them to get for all of us.
And what really good...we can provide universal health care coverage in 2012 by providing the sign up option for health insurance on the 2010 tax returns.
And best of all...the program is funded before it starts so there should not be a deficit.
I think this is pretty simple and pretty straight forward and I was waiting for someone to get it out there, but sense no one seemed to think of the idea but me, I thought I should share it.
Could you get this idea to the Republicans, the Democrates, the Independents, and most importantly to the President?
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