The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

August 12, 2009 Joey writes:

We’ve actually had much of that, thanks to lobbying by the insurance companies we’ve gotten much of that, what makes you think they’ll take the new status quo and not try and move it back to where we are at now, with their high profitability?

August 12, 2009 Heather, NJ and Tennessee writes:

YES.. but unfortunately reality doesn’t mean a thing. Our mafia-taken-over government and mafia-run media will say what they want and ignore Conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Americans: Anyone who doesn’t further their agenda regardless of their beliefs. Obama is the Britney Spears of Communism. And they are trying to make Earth our new God… it’s so sad.

August 12, 2009 Rgh, South Carolina writes:

Joey makes a good point! But I still say another government run insurance program is not the answer since we can’t pay for the one’s we have now. They’re all broke and losing money. Higher taxes will be the only answer.

August 12, 2009 Edgar, NorthCarolina writes:

So essentially this plan is to give the insurance companies free rein. If it wasn’t for government regulations, things would be OK. Correct? Aren’t we just coming out of a financial meltdown caused by a lack of oversight when it comes to financial institutions? How will any of these suggestions stop insurance companies from gouging the insured? How will this stop insurance companies from jacking up rates allegedly to cover costs and then declaring record profits based on the higher rates?

August 12, 2009 Another Good Conservative Alternative To Obamacare » The Foundry | AlternativeInsuranceGuide writes:

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August 12, 2009 » Financial News Update - 08/12/09 NoisyRoom.net: Where liberty dwells, there is my country… writes:

[...] Another Good Conservative Alternative To Obamacare [...]

August 12, 2009 Roger S., Ma. writes:

Looks good: Ownership, equal tax treatment, portability, also across state lines, cost transparency, tort reform. That should clear up the worst problems. Plus a provision for the recognition of voluntary charity, we’re done.

Add the popular HSA’s, and you give people the ability to partially self-insure, forcing insurance companies to provide more individually tailored programs. They’ll have to compete not only among each other but also against those who accumulate substantial assets in HSA’s and wouldn’t be needing them as much if they got too expensive.

I would still plead, that insurance plans by companies or holdings operating in more than one state provide a mandated minimum level of catastrophic illness / injury insurance, with or without exclusion of any prior conditions, as a required base level or “starter” offering. That would fixate a readily comparable performance baseline resulting in better cost/benefit transparency.

That’s it. We’re done. Now, did that require 1000+ pages ? Just kidding! Tort-reform would probably consume a lot of that, but that’s not even in the Obamania proposal, not even scheduled to be. The whole thing has but one “flaw”: no entitlements. Entitlements is to political plans as sex is to advertising. Sad, but true. All the more high time to turn old pork-barrels into firewood !

August 12, 2009 Albert Capbellsville KY writes:

McKey has some good ideas,sounds like a wise man.Cost has to be addressed,only the very wealthy could just go and get medical care without insurance.You would think hussein ran it already.To big and complex to be rushed through,they count on us not understandig it I dont.

August 12, 2009 Another Alternative to ObamaCare that is based on Freedom | The Patriot's Mind writes:

[...] eight market friendly reform options were outlined by the Heritage Foundation, an excerpt from the article is [...]

August 13, 2009 Morning Conservative Reading List - August 13, 2009 - AIP Blog - American Issues Project writes:

[...] Whole Foods CEO outlines market-friendly health care reform [...]

August 13, 2009 Abir, IL writes:

To Edgar:
“Aren’t we just coming out of a financial meltdown caused by a lack of oversight when it comes to financial institutions?”

Umm no. The meltdown was caused by the govt forcing institutions to adopt affirmative action in their housing loan sanctions. Kinda like the same way it mandates health insurance companies to provide a minimum level of services. I say let a hundred competing insurance companies bloom and compete in a free market to survive. A govt backed insurance company, funded infinitely by tax dollars would be a disaster for the healthcare market in the US. And if it is not backed by tax dollars, then it will collapse like every govt program.. USPS is a prime example.

August 13, 2009 Walt, North Carolina writes:

Edgar are you kidding me?

“Aren’t we just coming out of a financial meltdown caused by a lack of oversight”

This last meltdown had everything to do with the government meddling in the housing market over the last 30 years, incentivizing home ownership, pressuring banks (by law) to make risky loans and then providing a clearinghouse for bad loans (Fannie & Freddie). Add to this a “Fed” who believed that by definition there could be no such thing as a housing bubble and the over reaction to the Enron fiasco which drastically altered mark to market rules and you end up with the mess we are experiencing today.

The above ideas are simple, direct and would go a long way toward resolving the problem. Do a little research and see what the pros and cons of these ideas are before you embarrass our state again.

Joey what the heck are you talking about? Saying something doesn’t make it so.

August 13, 2009 Steve, Tennessee writes:

I’m more distrustful of the goverment than an insurance company.

August 13, 2009 David, Cape Cod writes:

Power to the people, not the government. The Govt. already has 3 single payer programs, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA. Does anyone think that any of these are an ideal model upon which to build a national program? Let’s fix what we have first…then maybe I’ll listen to ideas about a nationwide program.
Peasants with pitchforks unite! Love your country but fear your government.

August 13, 2009 Gregg in Nashville writes:

Anybody who thinks that the current administration and Congressional leadership is going to make wise choices in terms of both reform and fiscal responsibility should go ahead and drink the Obama Kool-Aid now so they won’t be around to vote at the mid-term in 2010.

August 13, 2009 JP, MI writes:

The government gave us Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Both are expanded beyond anything originally proposed and going bankrupt. And what is governments’ solution: more government control. And the ironic thing: the deficits created to pay for these programs are funded by the Chinese Communists! What has this great democracy come to???!!!

August 13, 2009 rcourt, Vermont writes:

RE: “Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost.”

Exactly. So consumers can decide which hospital charges more or less especially for routine things like electrocardiograms. When I tried to compare a few years ago, before going for the test, all I got was a run-around. When the bill came in for $1,000+ I knew why!
I understand hospitals subscribe to a service that sends monthly updates on CD’s for “appropriate” cost listing for the tons of procedures hospitals have. These could be put on a web database and searched, allowing comparisons between hospitals.

August 13, 2009 Charles-Odessa, Texas writes:

This plan would eliminate the 50+ government agencies needed to regulate and enforce and punish our healthcare system. No government bureaucrat will go for the patient as opposed to giving the government more authority and more numbers to punch in.
This plan has many more positive aspects than the dreamt up plan of long term government employees who have and will forget who they work for and who pays them and their union.

August 13, 2009 Jeanne Stotler, woodbridge, Va writes:

First let me say Social Security and Medicare are not intitlements for most people, I have been paying into soc. Sec since I was 14 YO and Medicare since it’s start. My husband worked for a transit company taken over by the Goverment, he chose a reduced annuity so I would get part of his retirem,ent when he died. Well I have NEVER gotten one cent, I cannot get his retirement papers nor any help from the UNION or company boses. I did not have retirement other than Soc. Sec. and if not for my kids I would be living on the streets, this after working as a nurse for over 20 yrs. and working 16 hour days most times. Do I trust the Gov’t. with my health insurance NO NO NO, I pay a medigap every month and an annual pay towards Part D, also money is taken out of my check every month. I prefer it this way, I want to control my health with my doctor, one I choose. Those that don’t have Insurance fall into several catagories, the truely poor get Medicaid, those who choose not to pay for Ins. but have the third car, flat screen TV, take vacations, private schools for their kids (I did home health),Priorities is the answer, then there are some who feel they can’t afford the premiums and don’t look for them. Everyday I here a company on radio less than $3.00 a day premium. Let’s not be sweept into another part of Goverment into our lives.

August 13, 2009 Ron Thompson writes:

why aren’t we looking at recalling senator or house people that are bent on converting the country to a “socialist” state? Right now, they will listen, or act as if they are listening,but when they get back inside the beltway it will be business as usual! we need to get their attention by firing them from their jobs.

August 13, 2009 Tom, Boston writes:

See that? Big Business people are not bad people after all…. wow

August 13, 2009 Jerry from Chicago writes:

I believe that the eight reforms proposed by the CEO of Whole Foods make sense and are workable. While making provision for tax deductible charitable donations into a fund to provide for the poor who cannot afford to pay for insurance is commendable, I don’t think it will do much to reduce these numbers. For the working poor and
unemployed, who are legal citizens, medical care could be provided through an expansion of Medicaid. Working poor would need to be defined by the government on the basis of annual income and number of dependents.

For illegal aliens and their dependents, no health benefits whatsoever. They don’t belong here. for those who have the money to buy health insurance but choose not to do it, let them pay for medical services when they receive them; treat them the same way you would a person who could afford homeowners insurance but didn’t buy it. If their house burns down, too bad.

August 13, 2009 Daily Reading… « Truth, Lies and In Between writes:

[...] Whole Foods CEO outlines market-friendly health care reform [...]

August 13, 2009 Mike McGrath, Wisconsin writes:

We have affordable Life, auto, home and property insurance. The major reason we do not have affordable Health insurance is because of the federal and state governments’ intervention. Read “The Patients’ Choice Act”. Authored by U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and others. It clearly points out how to fix our National Health Care System, and explains why we are in such a mess currently. Another great read on how to fix our current problems is “A Roadmap for America’s Future” available at http//www.AMERICANROADMAP.org. It contains common sense explanations and workable solutions.

August 13, 2009 Felix, Olympia WA writes:

A Simple Proposal:

1) Create a very basic, high-deductible, catastrophic-event government health-care policy that pays for major medical events only. Include everyone and pay for it with taxes. No one would ever again lose their home or be denied life-saving procedures. It would be cheap because it would be “single payer” and would include the whole pool of healthy and unhealthy people, sharing the risk universally. Billing would be simple for hospitals who would be guaranteed payment and the cost of providing health care would be taken of the backs of businesses.

2) Middle class and wealthy consumers would pay for routine illness events out of pocket, just like getting your car repaired, or they could purchase add-on insurance from private companies, as they choose.

3) Poor people would get extra coverage for routine illnesses as welfare or in free government or charity clinics. There will always be people who are so poor that they can’t contribute anything.

Wouldn’t this solve everything at modest cost to the public, or I am just simple-minded?

August 13, 2009 Steve Jelinek, Minnesota writes:

Part of the problem is that too much health care is tied to employment. Once the employee retires the health insurance ends. And now the tax payer, through Medicare is left with the more expensive years of ones life. Individuals need to own their health care like we own our housing. Insurance companies should sell life time policies that begin pre-birth and provide coverage through to the end of life. The only premium increases allowed would be for cost of medical increases. This way the insurance companies have the benefit of colleting premiums through the healthy years that can be used during periods of sickness. By writing the policy pre-birth the insurance company is getting the healthy with the sick to spread out the risk.

August 13, 2009 Lawrence K. Marsh / Gaithersburg, Maryland writes:

We should recall the words of President Theodore Roosevelt: “Under government ownership, corruption can flourish just as rankly as under private ownership.”

A good solution to this national dilemma is to allow 100% full tax write-off for medical expenses incurred by citizens, and not covered by any health insurance policy.

We ought to exclude government subsidy of medical treatment of any and all illnesses dirctly traceable to such reckless and irresponsible health practices as smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages and illicit narcotic drugs, and participation in risky sexual behaviours. Those who guard their health responsibly should not have to pay for the medical treatment of those who engage in irresponsible behaviours towards their health.

No government tax-payer subsidy for abortions should be allowed. Abortion is a private matter, for which no public tax-payer funds should be used.

Finally, we should not extend public tax-payer-subsidized medical treatment to illegal aliens. Bonafide American citizens never under any circumstance owe alien law-breakers a living.

August 14, 2009 calvin writes:

Hi

To expand coverage: give coverage like Federal Employees, Senators, Representatives, etc. have.

Most people on Medicare have extra coverage or sign up with private supplemental insurance such as tenet 65, Humana, etc. so they don’t have much to pay. With Medicare only it could get expensive.

Why not go with a plan that works already, the federal employees, Senators, Representatives, etc plan.
The employees who want to give their employees’ health care can pay the fee for them.
The ones who would have trouble paying for it can be paid by government.

If working either they or employer to pay. Ones not working, pay if can or subsidize by government .
So replace Medicare and Medicaid.
With such a large pool the cost should be reduced.

Of course we need all people with preexistent conditions to be covered.

So please, if the plan is good enough for the ones being paid by tax payers, give the same to the taxpayers.

May all have Medical, Medicine, and Dental as Federal employees, Senators, Representatives, etc have?

Thanks
Calvin Dufrene Jr.

August 14, 2009 Frank Ans. Conn. writes:

I’ve paid into social securty and medicare all of my working life. If the democrats want to give all illegal immigrants the same benefits on a free pass for them and thier extended family,what the hell did I work for? This health Reform Bill is going to finish bankrupting the country and myself and everyone is going to get screwed, this B.S bill better be stopped NOW!!!

August 17, 2009 Jerry from Chicago writes:

To Frank Ans, Conn. — Bravo! I couldn’t have said it better.

August 19, 2009 Morning Bell: Public Option Is Not Dead Yet | Conservative Principles Now writes:

[...] wants health reform to increase “choice and competition” than there are a number of conservative alternatives in the House and Senate that do just that by pursuing health reform through a [...]

October 14, 2009 Morning Bell: Obamacare Invades Your Wallet | Conservative Principles Now writes:

[...] The Baucus bill spends at least $1 trillion, fails to cover all Americans, taxes employers for creating jobs, and inflicts higher out-of-pocket health care costs on all Americans. We can do better. [...]

October 20, 2009 Video: Whole Foods CEO John Mackey on Health Reform | Conservative Principles Now writes:

[...] summer, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal outlining a pro-consumer, pro-market vision for health care reform that would take our country in the opposite direction of Obamacare. This [...]