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medpundit |
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Sunday, April 11, 2004The basic plan envisioned by the NAF is the mid-level Blue Cross plan offered to federal employees, which covers in-patient hospital visits, doctor visits in a preferred provider network and preventative care, but involves deductibles and co-pays. It costs about $7,000 a year. Scully proposes that employers be able to deduct only the cost of that plan from corporate taxes and that employees pay taxes on any insurance benefit they received that was more generous, thereby saving — after a phase-in period — $30 billion to $40 billion a year. He estimates government subsidies to hospitals to treat the uninsured in emergency rooms at $35 billion a year. He acknowledges political difficulties with such ideas — Republicans would oppose increased tax burdens on some corporations and unions would oppose taxes on members who enjoy so-called "Cadillac" health plans negotiated for them. Still, the fact is that, at the moment, employers facing double-digit health cost increases — and burdened by the duties of administering coverage — are cutting back or dropping coverage, causing insecurity among workers. Under present circumstances, most workers have no choice of health plans and have to accept what their employers give them. Under the NAF proposal, they'd have wide choice and could take their policies with them if they switched jobs. Average premium costs also would go down because everyone would be in the nation's insurance pool — including millions of healthy young people who pass up coverage because they don't think they need it. The idea of divorcing healthcare insurance from employment, often espoused on this blog, is being promoted by Ted Halstead as he promotes the book The Real State of the Union. An interview with him on C-Span should be available here soon. Widening the risk pool for healthcare insurance would make insurance more affordable for people like these, and avoid problems like this. It's an idea that should be given serious thought. And that should be getting much more media attention. posted by Sydney on 4/11/2004 10:16:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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