Daddy FR got a little worked up last night.
‘Twas the night before the vote on Trumpcare,
And I hear a lot of four letter words; alas I’m starting to swear.
Give us the House, we’ll defund Obamacare.
Sorry, we can’t do anything with just one third of the government.
Give us the House and Senate, we’ll repeal and replace Obamacare.
Sorry, we can’t do anything because the President will just veto our bill.
Give us the House, Senate, and Presidency, we’ll repeal and replace Obamacare.
What say you? With the House, Senate, and Presidency you can’t even simply repeal Obamacare.
I guess everyone has heard what the Republicans are offering, Obamacare-lite. They want to get rid of the Democrats socialized medicine and replace it with their own socialized medicine. I’m still swearing.
Healthcare insurance, like most other things, should boil down to the free market. I understand you can’t be, and I’m not, a complete jerk. So let’s look at a few simple principles upon which I believe most conservatives can agree.
By definition, people with pre-existing conditions aren’t buying insurance; so we need to stop using the language of the left on this. We can, however, take care of these people by taking them out of the insurance pool and place them in what I call a “Prexist Pool”.
Individuals with pre-existing conditions on a specified date will automatically be part of the Prexist Pool and once this pool is established, no additional members will be allowed; thus, a finite population. While nobody has to purchase insurance, if you don’t and you get sick, you will not be allowed to purchase insurance at the same premium rates as the existing insurance pool members. Your premium and out-of-pocket rates will be established by the insurance companies and you will be on your own to negotiate with them. Sorry, but you made a lifestyle choice not to buy insurance in advance which is what insurance is, by definition.
The Prexist Pool will be funded by a combination of private and federal government monies; funding includes both healthcare cost and administration fees charged by contract to the lowest bidding insurance company. Note the insurance company receives a flat fee per patient for patient and payments administration. Private monies will come from people within the Prexist Pool calculated at 5% of their net income with net income defined as Adjusted Gross Income – FIT (Federal Income Tax). Government monies will act like a block grant to the insurance company.
The insurance company will initially pay for any unfunded patient healthcare costs, but will subsequently be reimbursed by the federal government. Any reimbursements will include actual cost to the insurance company plus interest calculated as the rate charged by the Fed + 1.5%.
Because the Prexist Pool has a finite population, this program will end on the date of death of its final member. Hooray! A government program can automatically end. I know I’m a genius. But I digress.
This repeal and replace thing wasn’t about Medicare so it won’t be discussed. Medicaid expansion was part of Obamacare and from what I’ve heard, I won’t argue with what the House Freedom Caucus members decide on this.
As for the insurance pool, it’s free market time baby! I don’t know what will happen with this but I simply have faith in the free market on this one so keep your stinking hands off Washington D.C. So if you want your illnesses and diseases to be covered by insurance, you better buy now or as previously stated, work it out on your own.
Additional items that should be in any healthcare bill include, but may not be limited to (because I’m really not, well almost, the genius I professed to be earlier):
- Tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s)
- Unused HSA funds roll over into future years and remain yours for life
Upon your death, any unused HSA funds are taxed at 10% (remember contributions to your HSA were initially tax exempt) - Insurance premiums are tax-exempt if not paid out of your HSA.
