I really have to wonder what possibly could be so dreadfully wrong with our current system. Yes there are problems. All though I do not consider healthcare a right, I think that many people who don't have access to healthcare should. That also doesn't mean everyone MUST have "comprehensive" health insurance. Many people in this country, young, single and rarely in need of a doctor choose to carry major medical only. There is nothing wrong with that. I just struggle with what could be so dreadfully wrong that it warrants over 2,000 pages of legislation. In fact, I'll bet I could insure every american within 5 years in the pages of this blog.
Here it goes:
1) Dump the employer based system. Part of the problem is that in the old days people worked for their employers for 30 years. That is a good insurance model. Now people work for their employers for 5 years. Second, remember... you are not the customer, your employer is. My solution is that if you leave your employer, you have the option to retain your insurance permanently ( as long as you pay the bill). Eventually, that will lower costs, because insurance companies will have to compete for your business. Also require employers to pay sunbsidies uniformly. It shouldn't COST you to keep an insurance plan. This applies to dependents too. You should not lose your policy at 25. You should be given your own at the appropriate rate.
2) Treat all insurance premiums equally for tax purposes. If I decide to change careers and my new employer doesn't provide insurance, I need to have either private insurance or COBRA. Those premiums are not tax-deductible. Unlike my employer based plan which reduces my income by what I pay, AND the employer subsidy is deductible to my employer and non-taxable to me.
3) Allow competiton across state lines. This will drive down premims
4) Don't require me to buy a policy that covers Physical's, Doctor Visits for every sneeze or sniffle, and Mental Health care. A policy that will cover me in case I get cancer, break a leg, or some other problem is more than adequate.
5) Create an Assigned Risk pool for people with preexisting conditions, and apportion the risk across all companies doing business in the state.
6) Tort Reform - 'Nuff Said
Now clearly this will not fix every case...
So to fill in the blanks we have a model plan here in Connecticut, called HUSKY for people who still would not have insurance under this plan. And NOBODY goes to jail..
See? Wasn't that easy?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A Win???? Really???? For Who????
Well, I never intended for this to be a daily blog, but there is just so much to talk about. Imagine the audacity of Nancy Pelosi saying that the Democrats picked up 2 seats, so it was a win? Are you kidding? She has been drinking WAY too much of her own purple kool-aid. As for the NY-23 race, the odds of Hoffman winning were pretty long. It is not often that a minor party candidate makes that kind of showing. In 2010 the Republicans will field a more conservative candidate (Hoffman, part II???) and Owens will be on the unemployment line. A win for Pelosi? I’ll call it a draw. Scozzafava would have been closer to a win, because now they’d have a RINO to vote with the Democrats on the Healthcare disaster. And what’s with the 7000 people that voted for her anyway? If they had gone for Hoffman he may have won!
The big win of the day for conservatism was the New Jersey race. Is it an indictment on the President? We may not know that answer for a while. What IS clear though is that Corzine was in office when the economy went in the tank. You cannot sit there and spend the better part of 3 years consistently bashing President Bush for the financial mess without blaming other people as well. Corzine was one of them. So are Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, John Murtha and a whole host of Democrats who will be the next target of voter’s ire. The Republicans have been completely out of power for 1 year, and from 2006-2008 President Bush was a lame duck. Nobody with a pulse can possibly think the Democrats chickens wouldn’t come home to roost.
The problems they are having are completely of their own making. In 2006, the Democrat seats that were won were won largely on an anti-war agenda. There was no other choice. Just look at the Senate race in Connecticut. All Ned Lamont talked about was the war, and it got him the nomination. Fortunately, Lieberman had enough clout and support to run his own campaign, otherwise we’d have been stuck with Ned. Second, are the Blue Dog Democrats. They came largely from Red Districts. The Blue Dogs were key to getting and keeping control of Congress. It was Rahm Emmanual’s doing. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/maxine-waters-rahm-to-bla_n_246325.html. (Gosh I just love using Liberal links to prove my point). The Blue Dogs cannot go home to their districts with a Health Care plan. If they do, they will be on the unemployment line.
The big win of the day for conservatism was the New Jersey race. Is it an indictment on the President? We may not know that answer for a while. What IS clear though is that Corzine was in office when the economy went in the tank. You cannot sit there and spend the better part of 3 years consistently bashing President Bush for the financial mess without blaming other people as well. Corzine was one of them. So are Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, John Murtha and a whole host of Democrats who will be the next target of voter’s ire. The Republicans have been completely out of power for 1 year, and from 2006-2008 President Bush was a lame duck. Nobody with a pulse can possibly think the Democrats chickens wouldn’t come home to roost.
The problems they are having are completely of their own making. In 2006, the Democrat seats that were won were won largely on an anti-war agenda. There was no other choice. Just look at the Senate race in Connecticut. All Ned Lamont talked about was the war, and it got him the nomination. Fortunately, Lieberman had enough clout and support to run his own campaign, otherwise we’d have been stuck with Ned. Second, are the Blue Dog Democrats. They came largely from Red Districts. The Blue Dogs were key to getting and keeping control of Congress. It was Rahm Emmanual’s doing. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/maxine-waters-rahm-to-bla_n_246325.html. (Gosh I just love using Liberal links to prove my point). The Blue Dogs cannot go home to their districts with a Health Care plan. If they do, they will be on the unemployment line.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Hey Folks... I'm back
Ok, everyone. I know I have been less than diligent in posting here, but I think it's time to change that. It's Wednesday, November 4th and the results are in. One year to the day after Barack Hussein Obama used a smokescreen of "Hope" and "Change", instead of "Yes We Can" voters have said "Oh no you won't!". The worm is turning. The Virginia gubernatorial election was not even close. The New Jersey election was closer, but when you consider how blue of a state New Jersey is, how popular Obama is there, and all of the money that Corzine threw around, Christie's win was nothing short of a miracle. Special thanks to Jenny Bea for pointing me to the race in NY-23. Even in that Democratic victory there is much hope for Conservatives. The major party candidate was soundly defeated because she was far too liberal. That is a very important lesson that the Democrats learned in 2004, and that certain Republicans seem to have forgotten. Given a choice between a Democrat and a Republican who sounds like a Democrat, the Dem will win every time. Even in Maine, home of the RINO Olympia Snowe, the popular referendum of Gay Marriage was a resounding “No”. People simply do not want it, and do NOT want their government forcing it on them.
Now the elections are over, and with them, the "Year of Obama". President Obama is not a stupid man. In fact he is extremely intelligent. The reason all of the bills like the "Stimulus Package", Cap and Trade and Healthcare have been treated with such urgency is that the President knew the bloom would eventually come off of the rose. If the Healthcare bill was completed before the members of Congress were forced to go home and face their constituents, it would be law. I would say that if Congress were able to pass a bill before Election Day it might have had a shot. But the clear answer that was given was that “We are NOT buying what you are selling, and if you come back to us next year with the same tired old garbage, you’ll be next on the unemployment line.” Well, now. Here we can see that the Healthcare Bill will most likely fail. Completely. See this article. http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=8987651&pid=4380645.
The bottom line is that all of these Democrats from more conservative parts of the country are going to have to start campaigning in about 3 months. They will not be able to hang their hat on a Healthcare bill that nobody wants, deficits that we don’t need, and “Hope and Change” that hasn’t happened. They were given their shot and they didn’t get it done. Now they will have to take their medicine, because the “blame Bush” days are over. I truly believe that the Democrats will pay a heavy price for 10% unemployment, falling property values, and quite possibly the inflation that is soon to come.
Now the elections are over, and with them, the "Year of Obama". President Obama is not a stupid man. In fact he is extremely intelligent. The reason all of the bills like the "Stimulus Package", Cap and Trade and Healthcare have been treated with such urgency is that the President knew the bloom would eventually come off of the rose. If the Healthcare bill was completed before the members of Congress were forced to go home and face their constituents, it would be law. I would say that if Congress were able to pass a bill before Election Day it might have had a shot. But the clear answer that was given was that “We are NOT buying what you are selling, and if you come back to us next year with the same tired old garbage, you’ll be next on the unemployment line.” Well, now. Here we can see that the Healthcare Bill will most likely fail. Completely. See this article. http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=8987651&pid=4380645.
The bottom line is that all of these Democrats from more conservative parts of the country are going to have to start campaigning in about 3 months. They will not be able to hang their hat on a Healthcare bill that nobody wants, deficits that we don’t need, and “Hope and Change” that hasn’t happened. They were given their shot and they didn’t get it done. Now they will have to take their medicine, because the “blame Bush” days are over. I truly believe that the Democrats will pay a heavy price for 10% unemployment, falling property values, and quite possibly the inflation that is soon to come.
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