Dear Readers,
This is a copy of a letter that I sent to President Clinton a few years ago, which, by the way, he acknowledged that he received! Unfortunately, what makes social sense, often is not the "political solution."
This plan, easily understandable, can be explained in principle on ONE PAGE!
Remember as you read, that these are only guesses, but the spirit of the plan is expressed. This may not be the solution, but it clearly states that we could do things differently.
Dear Mister President...........
(ALL NUMBERS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE ONLY BIG GUESSES.
ITS THE IDEA TO WORK ON)
All Americans are covered.
FUNDING-multiple sources, including present medicare, medicaid, state and
local support from presently funded projects, some from the income tax revenues
(whichever plan we finally adopt), designated consumption taxes from alcohol,
tobacco, etc., some from consumers that presently are paying for private
health insurance, any other ideas you have.
CHARACTERISTICS
The Healthcare superfund created above will receive contributions of $3,000
per person for incomes over $60,000 per year, $1,500 of which can be used
to choose any health care provider, free choice/government vouchers). Families
with less income will have thier contributions adjusted in a fair way. Any
unused part of the $1,500 can be credited to the following year's assessment.
Catastrophic coverage is provided by the superfund, utilizing layered insurance.
In addition, each family will pay a large deductable for the catastrophic
coverage, perhaps $1,000 for lower income up to $10,000 for wealthy Americans.
Indigent people will be supported in a graded fashion, depending on their
life circumstance. Some mechanism for necessary intermediate levels of testing
and technology must be developed.
This is obviously a gross overplan, and numbers and ideas would have to
be practical. It has a blend of personal responsibility (if you make sufficient
money, you pay more, if you make less money , you pay less. The problems
of course will by special interest lobbies. Bureaucracies could shink, tobacco
and alcohol will scream. Fees to individual practicioners will have to decrease,
since patients could only afford about $50 per hour visits and stay within
the $1,500 yearly alottment. Malpractice reform,decrease in paperwork, reports,
secretaries, billing seminars, etc. can cut costs to the individual practicioner,
and the free market place will have it's impact.
This plan corrects some the problems we are finding in the managed care
environment. It would require a complete shift is perspective, but if you
could start again from scratch, building a new civilization on another planet,
and evolve a fair and humane system, maybe some small pieces of this plan
might find their way into reality.
The overplan above is easy. Bringing people together for the common good
of all, well, that's why we need leaders. You have my prayers.