In the Green Room: Dr. Norm Thurston, Utah’s Free Market Health Reform Architect

Posted October 27th, 2009 at 2.05pm in Health Care.

Dr. Norm Thurston is doing something extraordinary: he’s implementing consumer-driven health care fixes in Utah. When many employers recently started dropping health benefits the state reacted with reforms that make costs predictable for both employers and consumers. Predictability depends on accurate information for all sides. The Utah Health Exchange makes this possible. Here’s how it works:

Companies choose a fixed amount to contribute toward employee health benefits. Employees contribute pretax money from their own paychecks, and they can make contributions from a spouse’s job or a second employer as well.

Health Insurance companies will now have to compete for customers in a transparent exchange that will “connect consumers to the information they need to make informed health care choices, and in the case of health insurance, to execute that choice electronically.”

The result? Expected lower premiums for individuals and companies with no loss in quality of care. A model for America to draw from.

Author: Gerrit Lansing
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4 Comments

October 27, 2009 Bobbie Jay writes:

Just another excellent idea that falls upon the DEAFNESS leading America. Including the removal of unnecessary costs of unnecessary government.

I thought it would be a great idea to hand out the Constitution for halloween? Not prepared to do this but I wish I was. The youth has a right to know where the strength of freedom comes from. The youth can witness the government’s removal of.

October 28, 2009 Marktlv, Las Vegas writes:

THere needs to be greater exploration of this and other free market alternatives to standard insurance practices. Healthcare is suffering from a lack of free market initiatives–our state and federal government being those that put the brakes on most of these types of true reforms. Bravo to Utah and Dr. Thurston!

October 28, 2009 Glenn, Arizona writes:

Are the ‘workfare’ programs initiated by wisconsin during the Clinton Administration not the kind of ‘laboratory’ case studies we need for health care? We are learning from state laboratories what doesn’t work such as New York, Massachussetts, Tennessee, Maine, Hawaii and perhaps others. We need more examples such as Utah.

To give these time to produce demonstrable results, we need to put ObamaCare on HOLD.

October 28, 2009 Jeff, Nevada writes:

Makes to much sense to be considered viable by the liberals. Plus they hate free market principles.

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