I'm self-employed. I can't afford healthcare. I go to a free clinic that is truly wonderful - which, by the way, I'm grateful for their care. What if we funded these community-free clinics better (call it Tier One insurance)? What if we augmented insurance coverage by non-profits, such as, Blue Cross, to provide for a Second Tier of coverage at hospitals when more critical care is needed? Tier One (for people without health insurance who need basic care) would extend coverage for everyone (at better-funded free clinics in smaller communities). This would take the burden away from "emergency-room-care abuses," for one, where much of the healthcare crisis lies anyway.
Secondly, why can't we look at experimenting with a more flexible system or a Bill with flexibility built-in (instead of instituting a complete and permanent overhaul)? We need less permanency until we find a mix and a fix that works for all of us addressing all concerns. Medicine is "practice" after-all, is it not? We're always experimenting and looking for new solutions when it comes to finding cures for diseases, right? That's the way we need to look at this "disease" called "health care" and attack the problem that way. The resistance to the "Obama Plan is because people are afraid (rightfully so) that another huge, money-wasting bureaucracy will be created. Why not appeal to "compassionate conservatives" with "compassionate care" - in an effort to compromise"? However, in essence, it would win America the care we all so desperately need.
Thirdly, why can't we regulate current non-profit insurance companies that really are not de facto non-profits per se, e.g. Blue Cross. They are and they aren't a non-profit. Instead of Blue Cross acting as regional philanthropies - dolling out 100s of millions of dollars of "profit" to a myriad of causes, why don't we just have that money go toward "Tier Two" funding? Tier Two would create an affordable, basic "insurance" for the uninsured - perhaps run by a conglomerate of nationwide non-profits (not Govt. run).
Fourthly, we ought to let healthy people write-off the full amount of Tier Two insurance on their taxes. Monetary incentives for better health are already being used in corporate America for gym memberships and the like. Moreover, if we are going to tax people for Tobacco use we ought to "tax" them again with higher Tier 2 insurance if they smoke the same goes for other unhealthy habits.
And finally, the co-pay for those under $40K (single) ought to be $50 per month and for $80K households or below: $100. So, for the cost of a cable bill for singles - one gets health care. For families - they get healthcare for the cost of a family-cell-phone plan. Those are fair, manageable fees. I call this The Facebook Nation Health Care Plan because it has evolved from listening to friends and discussions on the social networking Website. It's sensible and reasonable. Isn't that what we are asking for to our Nation's health care dilemma?
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