I'm Your Protest Vote

If neither dominant party represents you, consider the Libertarian Party.

Healthcare

There has been highly charged, emotional debate over the "Affordable" Care Act (ACA) since 2009. IMO, we need to reach a national attitude towards healthcare. Is healthcare a) one of many commodities in The Market or is it b) a right?  Based on the current state of the debate, it leans towards commodity.

Status of ACA

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the focus of healthcare since 2009. My understanding is that ACA is an available program for those who voluntarily enroll. The Individual Mandate has been removed.

In 2021 there were 12,000,000 voluntary enrollments. This is half of the estimated enrollments per both CBO and CMS.

Also keep in mind … health insurance ≠ healthcare.

Next Step?

If we focus on affordable, a new federal program (with its yugely inefficient bureaucraZy) is NOT the solution. Also, ACA has NOT been deemed a success. Additionally, health care is a social issue. It should be addressed locally – by each sovereign state, each city, and by each healthcare provider.

Price Transparency?

Consumers of healthcare have NO idea about the costs to be charged for healthcare services … because providers do NOT know their costs. How can you run a business and NOT know what your costs are?  This a absurd!

It seems reasonable that healthcare providers should be able to publish prices for its services. Houses and automobiles have prices. Healthcare services should have a known price as well, established by each provider. Waivers (at time of service) for less than desired outcomes could also affect prices charged for healthcare services.

Healthcare pricing must NOT be dictated by the federal gov't. Ideally, each provider, to gain a competitive advantage, would post prices for its services. The first provider to so do would gain public goodwill and possibly get first consideration for patients in need of those services.

Emergency Services

During a life-or-death situation a patient does NOT have the ability to price shop for medical services. They should NOT be subject to any price gouging. It seems that most emergency services can be fairly priced and posted. Excessive prices could then be challenged legally after the patient has had his health restored.

I do NOT favor gov't price controls, like those in place for Medicare and Medicaid. Besides, prices will change and prices issued by yuge bureaucraZy will undoubtedly lag well behind reasonable market prices.

The Poor, Indigent, and Unlucky

The cost for healthcare services is relatively high (compared to other goods and services). This is in part due to the demand for healthcare services; most everybody wants to be well. IMO, the healthcare industry has oversold its product. The public expects much from providers.

A wealthy person can better afford a larger home or more luxurious automobile than someone considered to be poor. This is also true concerning healthcare services. But healthcare can have a more direct influence on each person. Pricing transparency will help some (see above).

Besides, should paying customers of healthcare services also have to pay for other people's care?  This is NOT even close to being fair.

The answer is Charity and passing cost to local gov'ts. Locally expressed, charity can come from individual philanthropy and healthcare providers in the community. And community support can come from budgeted city expenditures. Federal involvement seems overly expensive due the massive bureaucraZy "necessary" to administer and enforce its rules. See ACA above. Besides, federal one-size-fits-all thinking does NOT serve all communities equally well.

Public Health

I'm happy to share that hospital systems are wrestling with Public Health as we speak. I praise local healthcare providers that are looking to being an active good in their community.

Left Field? … addressing ancient unintended consequences

Much of our healthcare morass is because most workers receive health insurance as part of their employment. How did this happen?  Should this be changed?

During WWII the War Labor Board "ruled" that fringe benefits (including employer-provided health insurance) should NOT be taxed. This practice is still in place, even though the War Labor Board is long gone. If this ruling was vacated, healthcare insurance for many would be decoupled from employment; healthcare would be freed to be more like other available commodities.

With this change, the cost of (formerly) employer-provided health insurance would become taxable income, a sizable penalty to workers. The legislation making this change must "net out" the tax increase to NOT penalize workers. I recommend a lower income tax rate to offset the effect of a new/greater income.

From the House

I would consider:

Life, Liberty!, Property

Web Author - Mike Kolls