Rich TAkes! On the Health System

I found this at Red State, it reflects closely what I’ve held for years. So here is 

Rich TAkes on:

A few radical ways to shut down Obamacare

But first, here is a message from the Heritage Foundation on the effects of defunding Obamacare: 

(as always, my comments appear in cayenne)

from the article:

…Now on to the second issue of how we could improve health care if we are lucky enough to stop this abomination called Obamacare. Here are some suggestions.

1. Implement tort reform: Cut down on frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine, and you reduce the cost of health care by 10 percent instantly. While we’re at it, let’s go back to the time when lawyers were not allowed to advertise on TV. We don’t need lawyers on TV talking lazy, unemployed bums into claiming brain damage from a phony medical error.

>> We can do tort reform while recognizing that genuine malpractice should have consequences. I would also like to see an end to ambulance chasers gathering class actions via TV ads (like mesotheleoma, several IUDs, and other such groups) but this seems to conflict with the first amendment. <<

2. End state government-run health insurance monopolies: Allow insurance companies to sell across state lines. Allow anyone from any place to buy the best coverage for the money, regardless of the state. Instead of only having a few choices, you would have more than 1,300. Competition lowers cost — just look at your cellphone bill now compared with 10 years ago.

>>The People or employers should be free to decide what coverage they require, instead of the states. The prohibition against selling health insurance across state lines dates back to the New Deal, and only serves to drive up costs and limit choices. We can optionally buy car insurance (okay, this is not an option if you plan on driving a car), life insurance, disability insurance and more across state lines, and in some cases, worldwide. You don’t want to buy coverage that includes happy pills, hysterectomies or vasectomies? If you’re gay, should you be paying for well-child and pregnancy coverage? You should have that choice. You should also be free to not purchase health insurance at all. You should also be free to buy high deductible insurance, which used to be known as “major medical”. See bullet point 4.<<

3. Reduce drug-addicted newborn babies: There is a drug-addicted baby born every hour in America, at a cost of $1 million per child. This needs to stop. Make having crack babies child abuse punishable by a minimum of five years in prison. When people know there is a tough consequence for their actions, many will change their ways. At least those who break the law won’t be making more drug-addicted babies for five years.

<< I hadn’t considered this before, but it’s hard to argue that having drug-addicted babies is not child abuse. >>

4. Create health saving accounts: Allow people to buy low-cost catastrophic health coverage, and then put money into a savings account for their everyday health care. Watch how prices drop when consumers start asking how much a certain treatment or procedure costs before getting it. Americans know how to shop, so let them.

<< Going back to the cash plan will save everybody more, including the health care providers who suddenly won’t need to hire three employees to wade through mountains of paperwork to get paid, to say nothing about the claims adjusters the insurance companies will no longer need. We have had limited HSAs for decades, but they have been mostly pre-tax on an annual use it or lose it basis. Obamacare limits HSA contributions to $2500.00 beginning next month which won’t affect many of us, except for those who actually need it, such as those with autistic children or some other birth defect.

If I were to design a health plan for younger folks, I’d allow HSAs to roll-over and accumulate and set the deductible to increase according to use. For most of us, this account would accrue with interest over the years, and be available in the fifties or later when actual use begins to occur. Wider use of HSAs would also eliminate the need for dental or eye care coverage, just for starters. >>

5. Break the American Medical Association’s grip on health care rules: Allow other medical practitioners to serve patients. We have a major doctor shortage, and it’s only going to get worse when 30 million new users are dropped into Medicaid. Medicaid recipients can’t find a doctor now, so imagine what it’s going to be like.

We need nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and other health care providers to have expanded abilities to treat people. There is no evidence to show that this would diminish the quality of health care, and people would get treatment much quicker at lower cost.

6. Congress and the president must use the exact same health care system and coverage they force on the rest of us. Watch how that changes things.

7. The average American obtains 12 prescriptions per year, an increase of 39 percent in just 10 years. Why? Advertising. Stop drug companies from advertising. TV commercials are convincing would-be hypochondriacs that they suffer from low T (low testosterone), ED (erectile dysfunction) and our favorite, TMDD (too many darn drugs).

Save the $12 billion per year spent on advertising drugs that we don’t need and just lower our drug costs.

<< Sadly, this is another freedom of speech issue. I do get sick watching so many ads about the latest and greatest wonder drug, when the disclaimer for potential side-effects is longer than the copy. There is no doubt that this adds significant costs which we all pay in one form or another, like higher insurance costs. >>

8. Encourage real health care: Right now, we don’t have a health care system; we have a sick care system. Let’s get doctors better trained in nutrition and preventative medicine.

<< Most doctors are better trained in nutrition, in fact, we all are. The sad truth is that most doctors are stretched to the limits already, with little relief in sight. Preventive medicine really boils down to eat right, get some exercise, get enough sleep, and partake moderately in any vices you may have. Don’t expect a miracle in a pill, unless there is a real need, like a glandular disorder, high blood pressure or the like. Many issues can be addressed by living a healthier life-style, we all know what we need to do.  See point 9, below. >>

9. Make people responsible for their own health: Do you smoke, eat too much, or have uncontrolled, high blood pressure? Why should the rest of us pay for your bad habits? If you make poor choices, insurance companies should be able to raise your rates, not mine.

All these changes would slash the cost of health care by up to 30 percent to 40 percent. The president and Congress could work together and implement most of these changes in no time.

The effort being made by three brave members of Congress — Sens. Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul — to defund Obamacare may be our nation’s last hope. It is time that all of us made sure members of Congress know we’re watching them.

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