For too long, the American People have been misled that we have a Healthcare Crisis in the United States. I would argue that this assessment is wholly inaccurate. The reason for this is we have some of the best and brightest Doctors, Nurses, and Healthcare staff in the world. People from all over come to the US for our Healthcare.
What we have in the United States, is a Health Insurance Crisis.
For the last 50 or so years, Congress has allowed representatives of the Health Insurance Companies, to assist in writing the laws governing healthcare in the US. These laws have been written in such a manner that it only seeks to impower the health insurance companies and widen their profit margin. This has been especially true with regard to the Affordable Care Act. Health insurance companies and their CEO’s bemoaned the ACA, and how they would lose millions of dollars and be forced to cut essential services and customers just because of the elimination of the pre-existing condition acceptance clause. This has proven to be untrue, and health insurance companies continue to post record quarterly profits since the ACA become law.
My policy proposal is this:
Compel the Congress to enact legislation that would repeal the ACA in its entirety and restructure the regulations regarding health insurance under the following guidelines:
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Make it unlawful for Health Insurance Companies or their representatives to assist any federal or state legislative or administrative body in the writing of or input regarding laws governing their industry.
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Remove the ability of Health Insurance companies to influence or dictate to doctors or patients what services will or will not be covered by their insurance
plans or significantly increase the costs of health insurance based on family size. Pre-existing conditions must be accepted with no effect on the price of the selected plan or the coverage thereof. -
Require health insurance companies to create and implement a 3-tier platform for insurance coverage:
A) Basic Coverage - This level of coverage would be the least expensive and would cover all preventive care, well check, mental health, or emergency visits, including tests, labs, imaging, inpatient or outpatient services or medically necessary surgical procedures. There would be no extra costs for any testing or procedures that a medical doctor deems necessary, and no ability for the insurance company to refuse to cover anything ordered by a medical doctor. The insurance company would be mandated by law to cover 100% of all costs under this plan, to include prescription medications.B) Advanced Coverage - This level of coverage would be more expensive than Basic Coverage and include all of the services of Basic Coverage, with the addition of coverage for specialty care services. There would be no extra costs for any testing or procedures that the doctor deems necessary, and no ability for the insurance company to refuse to cover anything ordered by a medical doctor. The insurance company would be mandated by law to cover 100% of all costs under this plan, to include prescription medications.
C) Premium Coverage - This level of coverage would be the more expensive plan and include everything from the first two tiers with the addition of any and all other coverages, whether elective or required, that a patient or doctor agree to. There would be no extra costs for any testing or procedures that the doctor deems necessary, and no ability for the insurance company to refuse to cover anything ordered by a medical doctor. The insurance company would be mandated by law to cover 100% of all costs under this plan, to include prescription medications.
If we can take away the ability of health insurance companies to unilaterally decide what services, they will cover and dictate to doctors or medical staff what services they can perform to or for patients, then we can eliminate the power that health insurance companies have over the healthcare industry and patients, which should drive down the costs associated with healthcare for everyone.
Scott Taylor, BA, PSC